Located in Saks Fifth Avenue’s Chicago flagship store on Michigan Avenue, “The Fifth Avenue Man” (a shortened version of “The Saks Fifth Avenue Man”) is a 40,000-square foot menswear concept store. Spanning two floors, Hutchison created distinct identities for each level—floor six, “classic,” and floor seven, “contemporary”—to appeal to a wider, fashion-forward consumer market. Both floors contain nine floor-to-ceiling vitrines, displaying luxury items, and have an “at home feel” with rotating art installations and an eclectic collection of classic and contemporary furniture. Cutting through the levels, a custom bronze and steel sculpture synergizes the store-within-a-store.
Inspired by the Library of Congress rotunda, floor six has a warm, rich palette of brass and bronze, natural cerused oak flooring, and handmade wall coverings reminiscent of classic men’s fabric, like tweeds and herringbone. In the center of the open-air space, Hutchison designed one of the largest men’s shoe salons in the Midwest, featuring over 500 styles.
On floor seven, customers experience a contemporary environment inspired by the great modern architectural pioneers of Chicago like Mies Van der Rohe and Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore and Owings & Merrill. Raw and blackened steel, porcelain tiles, and silver cerused oak give the space an industrial air.
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