Stunning News!
Monday, May 3, 2010 at 8:45AM The favorite fashion designer of Michelle Obama has gone out-of-business. Yes, I know, this is absolutely devastating news. How could anyone fail in this economy? This from the NY Times:
Fashion and politics are seasonal and unpredictable, yet the two came together quite well here for the hometown designer Maria Pinto and Michelle Obama, whose first memorable bursts onto the national scene were often in Pinto creations.
Remember the purple sheath Mrs. Obama wore the night of the fist bump heard round the world? The teal number at the DNC Convention? Or the red dress she wore to meet the Bushes on their way out of the White House? Maria Pinto all, designed right here where both women were born and raised and, over the course of one remarkable election, became stars.
So when Ms. Pinto abruptly put up a “closeout sale” sign in the window of her West Loop boutique and announced that she was folding her fashion business, Chicago — and Pinto devotees all over — reacted with disbelief: What in sartorial heaven happened? “I pushed as far as I could,” Ms. Pinto, 53, said in her first lengthy interview since the demise of her store and wholesale operations in mid-February.
Just back from a month’s break in Barcelona, she pointed to the strain that a sour economy had placed on her business just as it was expanding and gaining major traction beyond a loyal Chicago following.
But Ms. Pinto acknowledged having made some typical startup mistakes in building her brand, in areas like financial management and operations.
Yeah, she made one really big start-up mistake - she supported Barack Obama and his economic policies. Unfortunately, because of that, Ms. Pinto goes the way of her Ford namesake - instinct.
Reader Comments (8)
Using your car connection, that dress Michelle is wearing looks like a Pinto that has been rammed from the rear. And she has a rear that would be hard to miss. And she has two a$$hole$, The one in her rear and the one standing beside her. Somebody stop me, people are going to think I don't like these people.
She looks radiant! I frankly take this as proof that the first lady isn't quite as influential and popular as the propagandist media would have us believe. If everyone loved her, these damn dresses would have been flying off the rack.
fugly describes her quite well.
Obama looks quite lovely in his little dress. Just look at how she lords over him. Scary broad!
I think you're right Taxbagger. Lord knows I don't pay too much attention to fashion, but you would think that, if she had as much influence as the media thinks she had that Ms. Pinto would have had more demand for her dresses.
It could also be that she simply wasn't that good of a dressmaker or businessperson. Businesses fail all of the time, even in a good economy. Maybe being in Chicago and not New York, Paris, or some other hub of high fashion hurt her. However, It it is very likely that the increase we have seen in payroll taxes, taxes on investments, social security taxes, etc. hurt her and her customers more that the Obama administration would like us to believe. She was producing luxury items for the same so-called rich crowd that President Obama has been assaulting for the past 15 months. Remember a few years ago when Congress decided to add a luxury tax to high-end items like yachts, then they were shocked to discover that the American yacht industry was going overseas? Taxes have consequences!
Hilarious Pundit. Love the artwork.
I love it, but I thought she wore man pants more often than dresses.
This woman could whip-a$$ bozo 24/7 and twice on sunday...She is in a league of her
own and what ever that is it could not be much....If being ugly was a virtue this woman
would be a Saint....How would you like to wake up to that every morining for thw rest of
your life and could do nothing about it.....