CAPITAL CULTURE: Maria Pinto, designer favored by Michelle Obama, set to close Chicago store

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CAPITAL CULTURE: Designer favored by Obama closes

CHICAGO — The signs of Maria Pinto’s rise were clear when Michelle Obama entered the world stage wearing her designs, also favored by Oprah Winfrey.

Today the signs on Pinto’s Chicago shop say something different: “Closeout.” ”Final Sale.”

Pinto is closing her Chicago boutique with a liquidation sale through Saturday offering discounts of up to 70 percent on her clothing, some of which is priced at thousands of dollars per piece.

The designer blames a poor economy, but the closing also may call into a question the notion that a fashionable first lady could single-handedly save an on-the-verge designer.

Having celebrity clients is a vital part of building brand awareness, Pinto said, but it doesn’t guarantee success.

“The whole fashion world is changing, the consumer is changing,” Pinto said. “The economy has changed the dynamics of the consumer and it’s going to be a while before the economy changes.”

Mrs. Obama wore clothes from her fellow Chicagoan on the campaign trail and then at the White House, even as she expanded her wardrobe to include designers like Jason Wu — who is now a hot ticket at Fashion Week and just moved into a bigger studio space in New York.

The first lady chose a purple Pinto sheath on the night her husband secured the Democratic nomination and an ocean-blue one the night she spoke at the Democratic National Convention. She wore a Pinto coat the chilly day in Springfield, Ill., when Barack Obama announced his candidacy for president, and a periwinkle dress by Pinto on the cover of Newsweek.

Pinto is a large part of Obama’s fashion story, especially on the campaign trail in 2007 and 2008, said Mary Tomer, author of “Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy” and founder of the blog Mrs-O.org, which follows the first lady’s fashion choices.

“That was a period when women first became enchanted with Michelle Obama’s style,” Tomer said.

It was also a time when a J. Crew sweater worn by Mrs. Obama would quickly sell out. After the first family wore many of the retailer’s items during the inauguration, J. Crew stocks soared. Hopes were high that making it into the first lady’s wardrobe was enough to tip sales over the edge.

Since she’s been in Washington, though, Mrs. Obama has turned to another Chicago boutique owner, Ikram Goldman, to help curate her wardrobe.

The first lady’s changing wardrobe probably combined with the economic downturn to make Pinto a victim of circumstance, said David Wolfe, creative director of The Doneger Group in New York, which advises stores on apparel buying.

“I think she didn’t get the global attention that we all thought she was going to get,” Wolfe said. “She’s probably having the same struggle that lots of high-end designers are having during these recessionary times.”

Katie McCormick Lelyveld, a spokeswoman for Mrs. Obama, said the first lady had no comment.

Big endorsements from big celebrities don’t always mean big influence, said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst for fashion at NPD Group, a market research firm.

“Even with a ringing endorsement from the first lady and inordinate amount of press coverage it isn’t enough to propel a brand into longevity, into being in a place where it’s perpetually ingrained in consumers’ minds,” Cohen said.

Pinto attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and launched her own label in 1991 after a stint working with the late draping master Geoffrey Beene. She closed her business in 2002 for health and business reasons but reopened in 2004. Her clothing has been available at department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and other boutiques.

Tomer said that while she was surprised to learn that Pinto’s store was closing, the Obama name doesn’t always translate to sales. The closing of Pinto’s shop is a testament to how hard the economy has hit the fashion industry, Tomer said.

“I just think that no one is immune from that, even when you do have really high-profile clients like Michelle Obama,” Tomer said. Pinto also has dressed Winfrey and actresses Brooke Shields and Marcia Gay Harden.

Pinto’s non-celebrity clients say they’re saddened by the store closing.

“It breaks my heart,” said real estate agent Lisa Malkin of Chicago as she left Pinto’s sale. “She’s put Chicago fashion on the map.”

Pinto has had a positive effect on Chicago fashion, said real estate agent Frances Elliott of Chicago as she left the sale with Malkin. Both women said they’ve been customers of Pinto in the past.

“She’s given us a sense of style we didn’t have before,” Elliott said.

Women admire and can relate to Pinto’s design aesthetic, Tomer said: “There was this great outpouring on the blog of surprise but support for her and hope that she will be back at some point.”

Pinto’s time-off plans include traveling, painting and drawing. And she said she wants to study the fashion industry to “see where I want to fit myself into it.”

Fashion, she says, is in her blood.

“I’m excited about the opportunity of repositioning myself,” Pinto said. “It’s hard to think about the future when you’re still in the moment.”

Associated Press Writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report from Washington.

On the Net:

www.mariapinto.com