Archive

Obama Designer Out of Business

Fashion

Michelle's hometown dressmaker can't stay open.

cheats/2010/05/01/obama-designer-out-of-business/obama-designer-out-of-busines---maria-pinto_yuqrpo
John Smierciak / AP Photo

Her dresses appeared on noted fashion plate Michelle Obama over and over again, yet Chicago's Maria Pinto just couldn't stay in business. This winter the Chicago designer put a going-out-of-business sign on the door of her Chicago boutique. The dressmaker's failure left many in the fashion world puzzled: How come one of the first lady's favorites wasn't able to make a go of it? Another victim of the recession, Pinto tells The New York Times that her expansion to New York department stores didn't go as planned.

Read it at The New York Times