For visiting fashionistas, the name "Fashion District" may seem alluring. But be warned. The term "fashion" here is a relative term. While designers troll this 90-block garment district for wholesale deals on fabrics, you'll need a merchant's license to access most showcase buildings such as the Cooper Building (860 S. Los Angeles St. 213/627-3754) If shopping is your M.O., bring your bargain hunting instincts and your patience to Santee Alley (Santee St. and Maple Ave. from Olympic Blvd. to 12th St.) where vendors are crammed side by side selling everything from faux designer sunglasses and handbags to sweatshirts, jewelry, and cell phones. You may even pick up a pet miniature turtle. Shop owners crammed into the little strip cater to their large clientele of bargan-hunting Latino families by blasting Spanish and hip-hop music from boom boxes perched at store entrances, making for a vibrant but ear-blistering scene. The whole Fashion District area can be overwhelming in its expansiveness. If you don't know what direction to turn, contact the The Downtown Property Owners Association (213/488-1153. www.fashiondistrict.org), which sponsors a team of security officers in bright yellow shirts who can provide maps, info, and assistance. Shopping tours are also available for $10 from shopping pro Christine Silvestri on scheduled Friday and Saturday. Or plan your visit on the last Friday of the month, when you can quench your taste for high-fashion by hitting the mega sample sales in the California Market Center (110 E. 9th St. 213/630-3600), a trade market housing 1,500 showrooms, and the neighboring and New Mart (127 E. 9th St. www.newmart.net), where cutting-edge designers sell off one-of-a-kind pieces, overstocks, and prototypes for the next big trends. This sale is cash only and quite popular. So get there early and be ready to elbow your way to designer duds. Project Runway hopefuls may also want to walk a few blocks over to the Fashion Institute for Design and Merchandising (919 S. Grand Ave. 800/624-1201) (FIDM) where future fashion and interior designers, graphic artists and entertainment industry stylists get their start. The school features a scholarship store with discounted clothing, fabric and special occasion wear, a gallery of rotating exhibits from Oscar gowns to vintage perfume bottles, and a museum shop with jewelry, books, fashion-related novelties, and FIDM alumni designs.