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Alexandra Jacobs stopped by the Valentino palace on Fifth Avenue, where she got an exercise in opposites. A "chilly aesthetic" characterized by the store being "all sharp right angles and covered in gray tile...makes for a curious contrast with the romantic work of the brand's current creative directors, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli." But hey, at least there's a waiter carrying champagne and macarons at the entrance. "It's always a party here," the "rosy-cheeked young buck" told the reporter. [NYT]