As summer flirts its final winking eye, reminding us of the memories that were, we seemingly take the nod (albeit the 84 degree weather) and accept fall's great fashion challenge.

It never hurts that New York Fashion Week lands on the brink of the fall season-- allowing us blog-ette's the elegant safari right of passage into fur coating and camels and oxbloods (oh, my!) and all other animalistic tendencies that fall innately welcomes.

I sit here at a Starbucks adjacent to the Empire Hotel, the quintessential New York Fashion Week hotel hub, anxiously awaiting the week ahead. And lucky you... you're only a click away from following along with me! Keep up with me all week on my Instagram @elshanesworld!

Exploring a new city is grounds for {situational dressing} = picturing yourself as a member of said movement and playing the part, but with icing on top.

Example: Confused Cali chick taken on a date to a New York Giants game. Dress code: High ponytail, vintage Giants tee cut into a crop top, high waist denim skirt, Gucci high top kicks, and two black lines under her eyes. Screaming: go team happy!

In my case, I rested my size 10 foot on fresh Santa Barbara soil and escaped into the world of a surfer-ette who tends to her garden on early mornings and to her wine cellar on late evenings. She's a fan of online shopping and gravitates to fresh, Australian designers. Her name is Rae.

You know those moments when that random gown that's crunched in the back of your car, out of breath and out of season, can save your life? As if a seatbelt is your back seat's second best friend.

Driving deep north along California's Pacific Coast Highway {imagine desert cliffs and endless blue ocean sandwiching a small winding road together with nothing but a three- foot metal bumper barrier at most}, we stopped to take it all in, and save the life of a lone, suffocated gown.

The gown's fate has twisted-- first meant to be debuted at an appropriately seasoned black tie September wedding New York, she now finds herself sheer and uninhibited, blasted all over the internet; the true tale of a Hollywood star. And the best part? She's available to werk it out in your closet, too!

The unspoken rule in fashion, don't mess with a chick in a cape. This rule could extend outwards into non-fashion related turf, like, for example, if Wonder Woman swept into your high rise office to save the city, or equally, if a homeless woman in a blanket-cape swept into your front yard to say hi. Just let it be.

I felt an air of Wonder Woman myself, in my vegan leather leggings. Although typically I am down for a kill in the name of fashion, it felt quite "LA" of me to choose faux for a change. And how picturesque might I add, that Santa Barbara, the land of farm-to-table living, welcomed these vegan leggings with arms skies open wide.

A taste of

Up the coast I went, with my tiny little suitcase packed for a weekend of beach, wine, exploration, wine, shopping, wine, and fine dining. Los Angeles to Santa Barbara was a quick two hour drive that reminded me exactly why I moved to California in the first place, as we navigated through the tall desert mountains and along the vast Pacific coast.

As a self-proclaimed queen of practicality amidst my sea of clothing chaos, I packed the perfect black rayon draped cardigan to pair back to each outfit day and night. The hidden buttons throughout the shoulder and waist of the wrap allowed me to perfect that hands-free Santa Barbara draping.

You know, to keep both hands ready for my next glass of wine...

It's takes a rare moment to hear me scream and shout {i scream for ice cream} ... over a top.

A Party Top

Such was the case when I dressed beach casual for a late afternoon of beers by the sand.

Today we're summering in Europe.  In L.A...

Amidst the heavy traffic and yoga-gear-clad moms of Beverly Hills lay a few pockets of Hollywood that are more reminiscent of an inland escape in the Mediterranean than a fog-infused movie town.

A three minute bike ride from my home finds me regularly at the Melrose Place garden of Eden; a perfectly manicured landscape invites you into brick alley back streets home to Marni, Isabel Marant, Alexander McQueen, and the rest of the European Union. Their retail stores, that is.

It's as if a secret garden erupted inside of the world's largest walk-in closet.

if Rompers ruled the world...

Top 10 reasons to wear a romper this summer:

10. You can invest in an entire outfit with only one price tag. {Then, use the rest of your milk money to buy a stack of colorful bangles.}

9. Rompers wrote the book on day-to-night dressing. It's the perfect one-stop item for a quick mood transition (just swap out your daytime flats for an evening wedge sandal).

8. You can wear it over your swimsuit to the beach, just to be perfectly prepared once it's time for rosé on the boardwalk.

7. Rompers that tie at your mid-section emphasize your tiny waist and also make your legs look skinnier. {#winning}

6. Have a romper that doesn't have a pre-cinched waist? Perfect! Grab a wide belt in gold or tan and pair it back to matching flat sandals for a polished vibe.