With more whimsy per square inch than everything else in FiDi combined, the Seaport District outpost of Carla Sozzani’s Milan institution 10 Corso Como is the polar opposite of the intentionally drab aesthetic of the Goop era.

There are clothes, of course, but they’re the least interesting thing about the place. (Then again, I’ve been normcore for years.) It struck me as the usual au courant high-end streetwear: Vetements, Balenciaga, lots of sneakers. Like Patron of the New for slightly less outrageous people.

What I found more exciting was the random array of stuff: banana-shaped lamps; a fried-egg rug; cat figures whose eyes light up (with the power switch on the sphincter); a hot dog sofa; Memphis-style bric-a-brac; art books; an offensive greeting card with Andy Warhol and a gun (and I think the one of Anna Wintour has a pacifier?!)…. It’s the best browsing below Houston, perhaps anywhere in the city; I spent more time looking than I do in most museum exhibits. Speaking of art, there’s also an excellent show of Helmut Newton photographs. Even when you think you’re overly familiar with his work, it still dazzles.

Whom the store is for is a mystery. On one hand, you have to be deeply into fashion to pay $450 for a baseball cap; on the other hand, the Seaport District isn’t exactly prominent on the fashion crowd’s map. The store appears to be trying to have it both ways; the incredible amount of 10 Corso Como souvenirs—tote bags, cigarette lighters, umbrellas—indicate a hope that the mall’s traditional clientele will confuse 10 Corso Como with an actual tourist attraction.

And then there’s the restaurant. The aggressive decor verges on Meatpacking-y, but the service was professional and the menu is appealing. I hesitate to make this statement based solely on a delicious lunch of spaghetti al pomodoro with a side of sautéed spinach, but I don’t think there’s ever been a better restaurant in the Seaport. I look forward to returning, preferably while the weather is still nice enough to sit outside.

10 Corso Como is at 1 Fulton Street (at Front); 212-265-9500; 10corsocomo.nyc.

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