Like so many before me, I fell in love in Buenos Aires.

It was a normal day, a Saturday. I was strolling around San Telmo, a neighborhood famed for its antiques and its tango, when I saw it — a genuine leather riding belt, complete with buckles and pouches, strapped around the lithe waist of a shop window mannequin.

Its home was Adom Club, an independent design cooperative that sells clothing, shoes, bags and accessories, along with the aforementioned perfect belt, by local label Manos Libres (AR$215, or US$56 at 3.8 pesos to a dollar). I spent close to an hour in the store, flipping through racks of colorful men’s tees by Un Colectivo (AR$66/US$17) and trying on funky Asian-inspired wrap skirts by Sanskrit (AR$106). I left far from empty-handed.

Adom Club features the wares of more than a dozen Argentine designers. Its second-floor coffee shop acts as a hub for the neighborhood’s creative types, and on Sundays, when visitors to San Telmo’s famous weekend market flood the neighborhood, a live DJ spins electronic tunes. Stop in for a taste of Buenos Aires’ thriving design scene, but beware — you might be struck by cupid’s arrow.