Ultimo, a symbol of European haute couture in Chicago, is closing its doors on Saturday after 40 years.
It would be easy to attribute Ultimo’s demise to the economy or the designer flagships cropping up within blocks of Oak Street. The depersonalization of luxury selling by online auction sites has not helped.
But those explanations overlook the Obama effect. Michelle Obama is a loyal customer of Ultimo’s closest rival in Chicago, a nearby designer boutique known as Ikram. The boutique’s founder, Ikram Goldman, was a former top saleswoman at Ultimo, and she was backed by Ultimo’s founder, Joan Weinstein.
As Barack Obama became a serious candidate for president, attention focused on Mrs. Obama’s fashion sense, a mix of J. Crew and Narcisco Rodriguez. Ms. Goldman received lots of free publicity from her Obama connection, particularly when she acted as Mrs. Obama’s stylist, soliciting designs for the first lady’s inaugural gown.
Ultimo’s owner, Sara Albrecht, said the decision to close her shop after 10 years had more to do with how shoppers had changed. They no longer take time for the high-touch approach that set Ultimo apart.
“Part of what we did was the theater of retail,” Ms. Albrecht said. “People aren’t valuing a lot of that.”
In the first sentence of this story, Ms. Chandler writes that Ultimo will close its doors after 40 years. Later on, in paragraph 5, Ms. Chandler writes that Ms. Albrecht will close her shop after 10 years. Has Ultimo been open for 40 years or 10 years? If Ultimo has been open for 40 years, who owned it before Ms. Albrecht? And who opened the store? Perhaps the answers to those questions would clear up my confusion about the first sentence vs. the fifth paragraph.
Matt — Ms. Chandler states that Joan Weinstein was the founder of Ultimo, which opened 40 years ago.
“[Ikram]’s founder, Ikram Goldman, was a former top saleswoman at Ultimo, and she was backed by Ultimo’s founder, Joan Weinstein.” This implies that she opened the store.
What is also said is that Sara Albrecht is the current owner of Ultimo, for 10 years. This implies that she bought the store from the founder 10 years ago.