Clyde Sans Bonnie

Gallery Aesthete

No longer the gender that style forgot, dandy gents have much to guffaw about these days, with more and more dedicated menswear stores throwing open their downright fabulous doors the world over. Chicago is the latest city to get a macho makeover, with the high-end, male-centric Gallery Aesthete boutique, little brother of avant garde unisex retail-haven Bonnie & Clyde, debuting its much-anticipated Gold Coast showroom in a jam-packed opening soiree just last month.

Hailed as a mecca for creative inspiration, and combining art and fashion in its art gallery-esque space, Aesthete places established and envelope-pushing names like Rick Owens, Comme des Garçons, Julius-Tatsuro Horikawa and Ann Demeulemeester alongside the raw textures of up-and-coming designers such as Inaisce, and features rotating artwork like Lonney White’s organic molten sculptures, currently on view for autumn/winter 2012. The contemporary, monochromatic store fitout by Lukas Machnik serves as the perfect minimalist backdrop for the eclectic cache of wares within, where you’re as likely to find a leather jacket as you are a kilt, high-top sneakers, funky tees and smart-but-edgy shirts and blazers. With nary a dress or stiletto in sight, wave bye-bye to Bonnie and bring on the boys, it’s Clyde’s show now.