Maria Pinto’s M2057 Fall & Pre-Fall 2016 Collections Will Make You Crave Cooler Weather

Do you remember the teal dress Michelle Obama wore at the Democratic National Convention in 2008? What about the purple sheath FLOTUS donned that same year when then-candidate Obama fist-bumped his wife at the final Democratic Primary? And how about the red dress she wore to meet the Bushes when they were leaving the White House?

In case you forgot, all these memorable dresses were created by Maria Pinto, the renowned Chicago designer who nowadays runs her more accessible brand M2057 out of her West Loop studio in the Windy City.

Pinto unveiled her Fall 2016 collection last week, with a first for the brand – the line’s first print, a plaid that catches the eye right away.

“Spring was inspired by the 1920s and circles, so for Fall I needed something rigid like the square,” Pinto told me at the press preview. “Squares are stable. They’re familiar, trusted shapes that suggest honesty.”

The theme of the collection goes beyond the print, however. The use of plaid also inspired Pinto to construct garments entirely from square elements; she is also using the same fabric she developed for previous M2057 collections – high tech material that is soft, machine washable and wrinkle resistant.

So what are Pinto’s favorite pieces from the Fall 2016 collection?

“It’s Velma, the square dress.  I also have to have the Lula tunic (actually pre-fall) and the Lucy skirt,” she said.

Other noteworthy pieces include the Georgia Constellation, a wrap-like garment composed of five-inch squares; the Jane dress that pays homage to a 60s mini in a lovely chartreuse; and the Milla Glenda jacket in plaid, which sinched at the waist creates a beautiful peplum.

The entire Fall 2016 collection will be available in-store and online August 24, but if you can’t wait that long be sure to see M2057’s fatalistic pre-fall 2016 line, currently available at the West Loop store at 833 W Washington Blvd, and online.

“Pre-fall is a transition collection,” Pinto said. “So I was thinking, ‘What do I want to wear to transition from summer into fall?’ That was sort of the catalyst for the colors – Jupiter (the orange) and the tobacco. Come September, there’re days that are still 90 degrees but there are cooler days too, so what do we really wear during that time? The beauty of the collection is that after all it is not only a seasonal collection. The fabrics actually work all year round. So you know you might put away certain colors but you can use many of these pieces continuously.”

If you are not in Chicago or hesitant to shop online, and want to experience M2057 first-hand, there’s good news for you. Pinto has four around the country pop-ups in the works this Fall — Palo Alto, San Francisco, Dallas and Washington DC.

“And then next year we are planning on opening two brick-and-mortar stores, plus we have a whole other plan for the national market, so stay tuned,” she said.

What’s cool about the concept of Pinto’s brick-and-mortar store in Chicago is that pieces are created on demand of sort — you can try on any piece in the store and then place an order. It’s a new business model that has worked well for Pinto and eliminates unnecessary inventory as well, which has plagued many designers.

“We have 25 to 30 pieces per color made; we try not to over-saturate,” Pinto explained. “So when you come in the Studio, we have our product in every style and every size, but not every color. But you may say ‘I want this dress in small but in green.’ You don’t take anything away with you from the store — we go online, and we order it. This concept drives better value to our consumer and it creates an opportunity for our footprints to be much smaller in each city.”

It is wonderful to see Maria Pinto thrive under this new model. After all, when you have dressed the First Lady, the sky is the limit.

See the entire M2057 Pre-Fall 2016, and M2057 fall 2016 collections in the slideshow above. And be sure to stop by Maria Pinto’s M2057 Sample Sale, taking place August 4-7 at her studio.