FASHION : Panama Invasion

AS SUMMER APPROACHES and sun block sales soar, the thought of wearing a Panama hat becomes appealing. These hats, the finest of which are hand-blocked, actually come from Ecuador (Spanish for equator ), where the sun burns hot. The classic cover-ups (which sell for about $30) are available in the downtown L.A. garment district’s New York Hat Store in six styles and seven sizes, in natural and bleach tints. If only the downtown neighborhood were as nice as the hats.

New York Hat Store, 522 S. Main St., Los Angeles; (213) 623-2650.