[2][5] She attended Palatine High School,[6] where she sold clothes to her friends at the age of 15,[5][7] and eventually sewed her own prom dress from a Halston pattern.

She then went to New York and attended Parson's School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she also worked as an assistant to Geoffrey Beene.

[13] She also spent six months recovering from peritonitis after laparoscopic surgery[1] but reopened in late 2004 after spending some time oil painting.

[4] She was selected out of 100 as one of eight to present a design for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscars preview fashion show on February 9, 2009.

The fashion show's winner had their design worn by the presenter or a nominee at the 81st Academy Awards in Los Angeles, as well as being able to attend the Oscars.

[16]: slide 8 Actress Marcia Gay Harden wore a Pinto dress to the August premiere of The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler.

[16]: slide 7 The next month, television host Nancy O'Dell wore one of her minidresses as co-host of the Jerry Lewis Telethon.

[26][27] The Great Recession caused an economic downturn that hurt the fashion industry—particularly a high-end label like Pinto, whose pieces cost hundreds to thousands of dollars.

[35] Pinto had previously invited Palatine High School fashion students to visit and tour her boutique in January 2010.

[26] When Ebony magazine photographed the Obamas, calling them "the Hottest Couple in America," Michelle was wearing pants made by Pinto.

[20] Obama wore an orange sheath designed by Pinto for a visit to the White House with George and Laura Bush shortly after the election.