Photo: Courtesy of Maria Pinto.
From authors to artists, it seems as though everyone has a Kickstarter campaign these days — including local designer Maria Pinto, best known for dressing First Lady Michelle Obama. After a three-year hiatus (Pinto has been working as the creative director at Mark Shale in Chicago), the local legend is launching a new collection — and guess what? You don't need to have the salary of a celebrity to afford it.
Making its debut this week, the M2057 by Maria Pinto: Urban Chic Fashion Collection consists of seven dresses, two jackets, a shrug, a wrap, and two scarves priced between $75 and $250. And because online ordering can be tricky, Pinto's Kickstarter page includes a size chart, as well as a nifty shape guide so you'll know right away if your apple-shaped bod will looks better in the Jesse dress or the Nina. You'll also find other cool non-clothing goodies such as the opportunity to spend an afternoon at Pinto's studio, or host a party with Pinto and 50 of your closest peeps at Sepia, one of the designer's favorite restaurants. Of course, you better be prepared to cough up between $5,000 and $10,000 if you want one of those experiences — but there's always $25 signed note cards.
So, just how much is Pinto asking for? Oh, just a cool $250,000 — but we have a feeling she won't have any problem reaching that goal by the 45-day deadline of October 14. Check it out and see for yourself.