Guise|Chic

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What once was Guise, a men's only boutique and barber shop, has gone coed and moved to a larger locale. Now you'll find Guise|Chic down the street, proffering salon services and urban gear for both men and women. Owner Brad Habansky brought two new business partners on board, Heidi Taylor and Jodi Immel, to handle the girly side of things. One or more of the three of them are nearly always presiding over the spacious second-story space on Halsted Street that used to house Best Buy's high-end concept store Escape. The vibe is a bit urban, a bit rough-and-tumble, with garage-size windows, soaring ceilings and exposed brick and racks made from metal pipes draped with two by fours. Past the retail area (complete with separate check-out stations for guys and girls), the salon fills the very rear of the space, with flat-screen TVs outfit salon stations tailored specifically to men or women.

For the guys, expect the same blend of casual and polished that the original Guise has become known for, from vintage-looking Hartford polos, Bermuda shorts in pinstripe and subdued plaids by Unruly Hero and Oliver Spencer and plenty of Nudie Jeans. The new foray into ladies' clothing brings fashion-forward frocks in a variety of shapes, including tiered flapper styles, belted strapless numbers and roomy caftan cuts. Dark, skinny denim by Acne and J. Brand dominate, and a few more out-there pieces -- like pleated dress shorts and Charlotte Ronson shorty overalls -- are peppered throughout for fashion risk-takers. As for the accessories, Immel and Taylor chose just one designer per genre: big leather bags by Gryson, leather belts by Pelle Melle, simple ballet flats by Delman, Tom Ford sunglasses and eclectic jewelry by Nicole Romano.

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