Inside Valentino’s vast new store on New York’s Madison Avenue
The three-floor Valentino boutique, which was formerly a longstanding flagship space for Calvin Klein, has been transformed into a beacon of Italian style

Valentino’s overhaul of an iconic space on New York’s Madison Avenue not only continues its refreshed design direction for investigating a site’s existing architecture, but incorporates a strong cultural element as well. The new three-floor boutique, which is best known for being the longstanding flagship space for Calvin Klein until 2019, has been transformed into a beacon of Italian style, not least from the soaring fluted columns on its neoclassical limestone facade from 1927.
Valentino Madison Avenue: a beacon of Italian style
Spread over a basement, ground floor, mezzanine and second floor, the mammoth 1,142 sq m boutique is a feast for the senses. Visitors through the grand double doors on the ground floor immediately experience the space’s monumental nature with towering seven-metre-tall ceilings and exposed steel columns juxtaposed by a statuesque green onyx display, trompe l’oeil marble carpets and sumptuous red velvet seating. Here, Valentino’s footwear and accessories are put on full display, while a separate jewel-box area clad with red velvet walls contains a taste of the label’s ready-to-wear offering.
A dramatic staircase constructed from a variety of marbles, including red travertine, white Bottinico and black Marquino leads up to the second floor, where the full women’s ready-to-wear collection is found. Defined by giant red lacquered wardrobes and an eye-catching black and white marbled checkered floor, the second floor is very much a continuation of the existing material palette downstairs for a harmonious atmosphere.
In the VIP areas, which encompass a private sitting room and dressing areas, bespoke chandeliers by Roll & Hill, chairs by the French architect Charles Zana and ceramics by Massimiliano Pipolo help to imbue a residential feel. This also extends to the men’s collection floor in the building’s basement, where a sprawling DeSede ‘Snake’ sofa from the 1970s and Mario Bellini’s Camaleonda sofas and poufs from the same era bring warmth to the space.
The New York flagship’s mezzanine floor has been dedicated to art and will present a rotating roster of local gallery presences, starting with the Magazzino Italian Art. The store’s opening coincides with an exhibition of large-scale paintings by Mario Schifano, to complete the ode to the house’s Italian identity.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Pei-Ru Keh is the US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru has held various titles at Wallpaper* since she joined in 2007. She currently reports on design, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru has taken a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars and actively seeks out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Knoll classics become unique works of art in the hands of Noel Mercado
Chicago artist Noel Mercado transforms three Knoll classics into one-off works of art using discarded car parts
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Budding romance: Dior pays homage to the rose
Dior Joaillerie’s ‘Bois de Rose’ collection pays homage to the classic flower
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Alaïa teams up with Rare Books Paris to curate a stylish library
Alaïa partners with Rare Books Paris to celebrate some of fashion and art’s most collectable tomes, curated by Peter Mulier and displayed in Alaïa’s Paris and London boutiques
By Tianna Williams Published
-
New York Fashion Week S/S 2024: Tory Burch to Willy Chavarria
New York Fashion Week S/S 2024 set off womenswear fashion month with a packed schedule spanning big-name debuts, runway returns and plenty of hometown favourites
By Tilly Macalister-Smith Last updated
-
American designer Willy Chavarria on his lifelong love of Dickies
Featured in the Wallpaper* USA 300, Willy Chavarria is part of America’s new wave of fashion designers. On the launch of his collaboration with Dickies, he talks utilitarian design, authenticity, and buying his first pair of Dickies at Kmart
By Jack Moss Published
-
Malin + Goetz cannabis candle celebrates the beauty brand’s roots, as latest store opens in Moynihan Train Hall, NYC
Malin + Goetz, the independent beauty brand and Wallpaper* USA 300 alumnus, is embracing new store openings and a cannabis candle collaboration with Brain Dead
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
How Tom Ford changed the beauty industry
As Tom Ford steps down from his eponymous beauty brand, we pay tribute to his contribution to the industry
By Mary Cleary Published
-
The designer behind Bode curates an exhibition on Shaker knitwear’s influence on American style
Emily Adams Bode Aujla of New York brand Bode curates ‘The Commercialisation of Shaker Knits’, an exhibition for the Shaker Museum which reflects the designer’s provenance-soaked approach
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
New York’s iconic Russian & Turkish Baths is where the city goes to ‘schvitz’
From gangsters to hipsters, artists to politicians, New York’s Russian & Turkish Baths continues to attract a colourful crowd with its basement banya
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Thom Browne’s whale-shaped bag is inspired by Moby Dick
Thom Browne’s playful new handbag arrives as part of a collection that looks towards Herman Melville’s timeless tale of adventure and revenge for inspiration
By Jack Moss Published
-
At home with Proenza Schouler founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez
Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, part of the Wallpaper* USA 300, talk creative process, current inspirations, and escaping to The Berkshires
By Tilly Macalister-Smith Published