“I love the culture, the history of it, but it’s not shifting quite in the way that I hoped it would,” Pinto said. “It hasn’t built the momentum in the retail sector in the way I thought it would by now.”
Pinto’s new store will be at 710 N. Wabash Ave. and is set to open July 7. The move from her current location — at 210 N. Morgan St. — coincides with the 10th anniversary of the launch of her line, M2057 by Maria Pinto. With the new store opening, Pinto will also change the brand name to Maria Pinto, dropping M2057.
Pinto’s clothing line is described on its website as “clean minimalist,” offering an “architectural aesthetic for the everyday polished look.” Dresses on her website are priced between about $250 and $595, though there are some on sale for as low as $115.
Before she launched the more everyday M2057, Pinto was associated with luxury items — think $1,000 to $15,000 dresses. Pinto said she felt she had to add the M2057 to her name to differentiate. Ten years later, people don’t have the same luxury associations, she said.
The Chicago fashion designer got her start in the early 1990s with a line of scarves and wraps that sold in stores such as Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman. (Mick Jagger once wore one during a performance at Soldier Field.) She has designed for Chicago society, including Winfrey and Obama, who has worn Pinto’s designs on several occasions. Pinto also worked at now-closed Mark Shale, designed apparel for the Joffrey Ballet, and had her designs worn on the 2015 season finale of the Fox show “Empire.”
Pinto moved her boutique into its current space on Morgan about two-and-a-half years ago, amid the pandemic. Her office and fulfillment operations are run out of the same building, which is set to be torn down and developed into a residential high-rise. Pinto plans to move her administration and fulfillment operations to a building in River North at the end of July.
Pinto said her clients are excited about the boutique’s move to the Gold Coast. Parking has been an issue for them in Fulton Market, she said.
“I’m sure somebody will figure that all out,” she said. “But in the meantime, my clients need more convenience.”
The Gold Coast struggled in recent years as concerns over retail theft spooked shoppers and put retailers on edge. Though some concerns remain, retailers are expanding and the shopping district is thriving.
“The Gold Coast is very, very hot right now,” said Will Winter, vice president of Stone Real Estate. “Lots of big deals going on.”
In the past couple of years, Brunello Cucinelli moved to a larger space on Rush Street, French fashion house Celine announced plans to open its first Midwest store on Rush Street, and Dior expanded, Winter said.
The Fulton Market District is hot, too, with offices, restaurants and stores moving into the neighborhood. However, “there’s a different customer base in Fulton Market than there is the Gold Coast,” Winter said.
Pinto hopes her clients will stop by her boutique after grabbing makeup at Saks or shoes at Neiman, adding convenience to a shopping trip.
“When you go shopping, it tends to be a shopping experience she said. “Our client is super busy, whether she’s in a C-suite position, she may be doing a lot of philanthropic work, she has a family — time is a significant factor in how she lives her life, so we want to make it (easy.)”