Maria Pinto Opens New Store in Chicago

Kristin Larson
·3 min read

Maria Pinto has moved from the West Loop to a new flagship on Chicago’s Gold Coast.

The 3,000-square-foot store located at 710 North Wabash Avenue, in between Superior and Huron Streets, occupies the space formerly owned by Rent the Runway. The store, which Pinto started remodeling in late February, celebrated its grand opening Thursday.

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“I’ve been a big fan of the West Loop forever,” Pinto said during an interview in the store. “It was a wonderful moment and I was really excited about the growth but the growth has sort of been one-dimensional. It’s restaurants and more restaurants. I thought by now there’d be a nice retail sector. I want to be where my clients are. My clients are thrilled. There’s parking here and you’re adjacent to so many things.”

The gallery-like space, designed by Pinto herself, features industrial vibes with light gray porcelain floors, square recessed lighting and custom-made powder-coated black steel garment racks.

“In my last two stores I had a designer create the spaces. I was with a really good friend of mine about a year ago and he was in my apartment and he said, ‘you should design the store,’” said Pinto, whose designs have been worn by former first lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and even Mick Jagger.

“I don’t design interiors, but I had so much fun doing this. It’s an extension of the collection. The drapes are fabric from the collection actually.”

Upon entering, one is greeted with a gleaming oversize chandelier by Tom Dixon, positioned over an expansive circular “Moon” rug by Moooi. A pair of vibrant orange chairs punctuate the room rendered in a fabric by Kvadrat and Raf Simons.

The interior of the new store, with a sculpture by Tom Dixon and artworks by Maria Pinto. Photo by Yuya Ohashi

“I want the collection to have space to breathe,” Pinto said. “It’s curated in a way. I like to play with how colors will play off each other.”

The designer’s versatile ready-to-wear collection is displayed throughout the space, including machine-washable tops, dresses, pants, coats and jackets.

“It’s masculine-feminine, hard-soft, it’s all those juxtapositions,” Pinto said, while pointing to a collection inspired by motorcycles and kimonos. “The clientele I’m focused on is my old clientele but where she is now. We’re busier than ever and we’re time-starved.”

The assortment features jewelry by designers like Ariana Boussard-Reifel, 5 Octobre, Marie Laure Chamorel and Goti.

Pinto’s own paintings as well as photographic prints by Pinto, architect Jeanne Gang and photographer Sandro Miller adorn the walls.

“It’s kind of minimalist in a sense,” Pinto said. “So really what your eye goes to is the clothing and the mannequins.”

Pinto will host in-store partnerships and events “to build community” with people like the aforementioned Gang and artist Amanda Williams, she said.

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