Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Will Maria Pinto design Michelle Obama's Inaugural Collection?

I think so.

All of Michelle's remembered dresses were designed by this Chicago designer.

Maria Pinto, bio:

Her luxurious women’s accessories collection debuted at Bergdorf Goodman after being “discovered” by past president Dawn Mello. That was 1991, and since the launch of her elegant women’s accessories and ready-to-wear line, Maria Pinto had been flattering women by providing entrance-making collections of cocktail and evening clothing. Now, Pinto’s collection adapts the luxurious fabrics and seductive styling of her eveningwear for their daytime needs.

Pinto’s design signatures are the sensual fit of her clothing, and her seasonal selection of luxurious European fabrics. She shares the culture of Italy’s legendary artists and designers, which informs her style as much as the attention to detail, draping, and structure she learned as an associate designer of the legendary Geoffrey Beene. Season after season, she marries the rich traditions of Europe’s artisinal textiles with the shapely modernity of great American design.

In addition to her ready-to-wear clothing and accessories, Pinto has designed seductive dance costumes for the Joffrey Ballet. She is the recipient of prestigious design awards including the Gold Coast Fashion Award, which formerly honored Donna Karan, Bill Blass, and Anne Klein. A Fine Arts graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Pinto also studied at New York’s Parson’s School of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology.

The Maria Pinto Collection is available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York,
and Takashimaya.

Over at Mrs. O, they are wondering the same thing, will it be Pinto?
A look at Mrs O’s previous evening wear, including this gown, gives a few intriguing hints as to what we might be able to expect on Inauguration day. Interestingly, given her usual vibrant hues, Mrs O has in the past often tended towards a softer palette for evening in pastel pinks and blues.

She is clearly a fan of Pinto’s embellished wraps and seems to favour a less structured, more softly draped look than she chooses for daywear. She often wears her hair up in the evening, the better to showcase the statement earrings she favours for formal events and the elegant lines of her dresses.

So will Mrs O stay true to form or surprise us all? Only time will tell.

I know one thing, I loved her beautiful purple sheath dress with Michelle's timeless black belt and the saucy but refined red dress that Michelle wore to meet President and Mrs. Bush. Those were stamped by Pinto.

Michelle, keep her in your rolodex rotation, she knows how to make you look like a knock out.

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