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Hugh Grant wears a cape, and Cat knew immediately that she would cotton to anyone who wears a cape. But then she got the director of the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art on the phone, and now she has a bit of an intellectual crush on him. He's smart, he's a music historian, he's on the board of Opera Colorado, he wrote a ballet for Colorado Ballet that won an Emmy, and he wears a cape. A very storied cape. A cape that Vance Kirkland himself once wore. What's not to love?

"It was made by Winifred Leahy, who you wouldn't know unless you're about eighty," says Grant, laughing. "She was well known in the '40s and '50s in Denver, and she was the director of the fittings department for Montaldo's department store and Denver Dry Goods Co. in Cherry Creek. She became a friend of Robert Weaver, who was the manager of the big classical music store, Music For All, for 25 years, and he wanted something to wear to the opening of the Denver Symphony. So Winifred made him this gorgeous cape. It's not something you'd rent in a Halloween store. It's this incredible navy blue wool flannel material, and it has a plum satin lining with a collar."

How did it get passed down to Grant so that he could continue the tradition of dapper, cultured men sporting a cape? There's some beautiful symmetry to the story.

But you're going to be cold, you say, in a strapless cocktail dress. Or maybe you need something a little edgier for that Halloween party than what The Cat's Pajamas offered below. Problems solved: Just throw one of Lynne Bruning's Wookie coats over your shoulders, and you'll be ten feet tall and bullet proof. Cat speaks from experience: She had the good fortune to borrow a Wookie one evening, and it made her taller and smarter. How can you not be when you're wearing a giant, hot pink Chewbacca?

A few words of advice, however: Expect people to pet you...without...asking. If you don't like to be touched, you'll have to steel yourself before wearing a Wookie. Also, people will stare, but the Wookie gives you the power of royalty to stride through crowds with impervious abandon. The best part? You can wear them year round; no need to wait for Halloween to break out this fantasy self.

The Cat's Pajamas has always hated Halloween. She never liked having to dress up in some stupid-ass Tiger or Princess or Cheerleader costume. She was never much of one for make-believe, so the whole effort just somehow seemed pointless, even if candy was involved. There was this one time, however, that she got talked into being Sport Spice Mermaid for the annual Coney Island Mermaid Day Parade. That was fun, minus walking two miles in sky-high platforms and spangly polyester.

Cat's always been happy to help other people outfit themselves for the evening — that part is always insanely crazy and creative — but the question always remained: What does she wear out with her freaky friends? So Cat has been on the look out for an ensemble that could take her from the Masquerade Ball at the Oriental on Saturday night to "Secret of the Abyss," the sci-fi-themed party at Jax the same night. Or even any of the soirees at Rise and the Church happening all weekend. But it had to be something that didn't involve slutting herself out as a nurse or wearing someone else's stanky rented hippo gear.

What The Cat's Pajamas decided is that All Hallow's Eve is an excellent time to take some fashion risks, to try out some things you wouldn't wear in every-day life. To not be somebody — or something — else for the night, but to be a better, more flamboyant version of yourself.

For a sleek and elegant look, she chose a red strapless cocktail dress that she already had in her closet (nothing wrong with starting with what you've got) and then added a hand-crafted mask from Apocalypse Boutique (108 South Broadway, 303-777-3218). Owner Mike Romoth has been making these beauties for three years, and they are a perfect accoutrement for those masked balls where you want to look more gorgeous than outlandish. Plus, you'll look cool when you hit an after-party later and everyone else's makeup has sweated off and their outfits are half-undone.

Mike has a whole slew of masks in varying styles and colors, but Cat went with a basic black to start, and matched it with a pair of killer black stilettos and a giant cocktail ring. With a piece like this, you want all attention focused on it, so don't muddle the outfit with unnecessary earrings or necklaces. Just a light dusting of bronzer or sparkling powder over the collar bone will be more than enough. (Note: Photo is not of Cat; a special thanks to The Cat's Pajamas' special model.)

Some sage advice overheard at Moontime:

"These girls wear $500 shoes and $300 bags into a bar and then get mad when some guy spills a beer on them. I tell them, "Then don't wear $800 worth of accessories into a bar.'"

The Cat's Pajamas couldn't agree more. Because if she'd spent $880 on this pair of Givenchy boots she covets, she sure as hell wouldn't wear them into any nightclub in LoDo. Heck, she won't even wear her classic Frye motorcycle boots there. No, those are saved for safe places, like Bar Bar. You know it may be a little sticky, but there is a much lower percentage of drunk assholes wielding beer bottles and overflowing cocktail glasses.

Then again, if Cat somehow lost her mind and spent $880 on a pair of boots — or even the $528 for them at Bluefly.com — she probably wouldn't wear them anywhere. She'd build a shrine and keep them encased in a temperature-controlled, hermetically sealed box.

It's official: Denver has reached the top. The good people of Wolford — the Netherlands-based company best known for sexy legwear that can va va voom up any outfit — also have a line of body-conscious tops named after famous places worldwide, such as "Arizona," "Long Island," "Jakarta," " New York," "Lisbon" and "Berlin." Here's what Wolford America's director of PR had to say about the Denver String Body: "We named the top this because of the soft luxurious fabric, like velvety snow, and because of the sloping neckline, which made us think of mountains and skiing."

It's not exactly a great shirt in and of itself for skiing — bare skin+cold snow=much cursing — but the Denver is pretty sexy. And it definitely beats the pants off of Arizona's uptight look, which is tres odd, considering that state's sultry weather. But Cat isn't complaining about one-upping our neighbor to the south. Besides, Arizona looks better than the New Jersey -- which looks like, well, New Jersey.

Boys, The Cat's Pajamas tried. She really, really did. She went to The 400's Shoe Shine sneaker competition at Andenken on Saturday night in hopes of bringing you a tasty treat of edgy menswear. But Cat was sadly disappointed: The boys did not bring their A-game. Yes, it was a sneaker freak, a chance to show off your best kicks, but that doesn't mean you neglect the top 98 percent of your persona; the ladies sure as hell didn't. Repeat after me, gentlemen: "I will not wear a baseball cap or track suit when I'm going out on the town. I will make an effort, if only as additional bait for my wedding tackle."

Cat's not talking about having to wear suits and ties. She gets that sweats are all "urban flava," but since she can't co-sign them as appropriate date attire for your better halves, she sure as hell isn't going to okay them for you. (Now, if they'd actually had some flava, then Cat might have had some sympathy, because in the case of true personal style, any fashion edict can be trumped.)

Still, those shoes were amazing -- shaming Cat's favorite pink Pumas -- and the ladies were smoking, especially Eno Ocansex. Love the boots, love the hair, love the earrings, love everything. (Cat. Must. Have. The. Boots.) Eno proves you don't have to be all vamped out to be gorgeous; she just looks radiant and confident in herself -- and there's no greater compliment in fashion.

Here's the "it" fashion accessory of the season. Available at a convenience store near you.

Please pardon Cat while she hacks up a hairball.

For a look at a true fashionista, take in Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, which opens next Friday. Sure, all of the reviewers agree that the movie falls apart once Francis Ford's daughter strays from frippery to history (including our own J. Hoberman, whose review can be found here), but the fashions are worth the price of admission. And how ironic that the movie is opening tonight — just a week (and lots of years) after the "teen Queen" was beheaded on October 16, 1793. For an insightful look at Antoinette, her true nature and her courtier styles, check out Judith Thurman's excellent (but long) piece in the New Yorker.

For those of you who just read for the pictures, here are some advance snaps from the press kit.

So you've got one hell of a weekend booked. But you don't know what to wear. The Cat's Pajamas has you covered with our weekly installment of What to Wear Fridays, where the most styling boys and girls in town show off their favorite party outfits.

Whether you're heading out to the grand opening of Twist & Shout at the Lowenstein on Saturday afternoon, stopping by the Shoe Shine sneaker competition at Andenken Gallery that evening, or maybe even checking out Lucero at the Gothic a little bit later, Fashion Denver's Brandi Shigley has just the thing.

She wore this outfit to Vain salon's art opening last Saturday night, then took it over to Larimer Lounge, and even got mileage the next day while working at her office planning the next big fashion market. "The dress is long — a little past my knees — so I pinned it up with the white petticoat underneath to make it a little bit more exciting," she tells Cat. "The belt worn high gave me the Marie Antoinette feeling. Paired with some big black boots, it brought the princess into a little tomboy effect. It was the perfect blend of princess and 'I'll kick your ass.'"

For day, all she did was strip off the petticoat and wear the dress over jeans with a pair of '80s red pumps and a long silver necklace. And while a dress over pants is a no-no for a formal affair, for a casual day at the office, it's still au currant.

The best part — it only cost her $15. " I heart thrifting. It's my superhero power," says Shigley, who is a fan of Rare Bird and other five-and-dimes around town.

The breakdown:

Vintage brown velvet jacket: $5
Black dress with flowers: $2.50
Vintage black bag: $2.50
Pink scarf: $1
White petticoat: $4

Outrageous personal style: Priceless.

The Cat's Pajamas must ask: What in the hell was Heidi Klum wearing last night on the finale of Project Runway? That dress with those boots just made her look stumpy -- and if you can make Heidi Klum look stumpy, it doesn't bode well for normal women everywhere. Egad, Heidi, fire your stylist immediately.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled dissection of the Olympus Fashion Week show.

Cat can't believe she found herself rooting for Jeffrey to win. All through the season she wanted him "aufed" because he was an arrogant, pompous ass. She wanted to like his designs more than she ever did, mainly because she fell in love with his neck tattoo on episode one. But then in the two episodes preceding the runway show, Jeffrey proved that he was a "softie." And his sob story moved her heart.

Then Jeffrey's collection wowed everyone as being both edgy and elegant. It wasn't all deconstruction and boundary pushing just for the sake of boundary pushing. The pieces were beautiful and well-constructed, as exciting and an unexpected as Michael's were bland and disappointing. (That's hard to say since Cat was a Michael girl all season long.) It was like the two suddenly had a Vulcan mindmeld performed on them. Michael tried to "make it work," but the truth is the stuff he did in two days on the show was far superior. There just wasn't much interesting, although Cat did love the orange satin minidress even if the fit was odd and she couldn't wear it in a million years. Something about that color.

And Laura, while Cat doesn't like her personally and thinks she's a one-note, the note she hits is a good one. Though she did break two cardinal rules of The Cat's Pajamas: formal shorts (ugg!) and pants under a formal dress (double ugg!). Plus there were those giant rooster-like shoulder pads on the long black dress. It was like the worst of the '80s came back, skinned a bird and threw it on a floor-length dress just to punish the fashion world for stealing back the skinny pant. Cat can just see Tim Gunn standing there with his arched eyebrow saying, "Laura, I'm concerned."

Uli was the big astonishment, however. Who knew she could do understated yet elegant, something that doesn't just scream beach with a capital Miami. Apparently her legions of fans out there, but Cat just didn't see it coming. Congrats to you, Ms. Uli. The Cat's Pajamas would have been equally proud if your collection had been the winner.

Here's the best -- and worst -- of the final four:

Elyse Burja lives with her shoe obsession every day. As the owner of STRUT, at 3877 Tennyson Street, she earns a living making sure that the women of Denver are well-heeled. She's always seeking something that catches her eye and makes an impression. Cat certainly understands her dedication; she's got a bit of a shoe fetish herself: You can't just dash out for some milk in sensible loafers when you're known about town for your sole style.

So what is Burja wearing right now? A pair of black pumps from Chie Mihara (from Spain; she likes small, independent designers). "This shoe is my favorite because it is practical, sexy and so very comfortable, especially for a heel," she tells Cat. "I have worn it with everything from a sexy black dress to show off the ankle strap, to black corduroys and jeans. Worn that way, it is a great basic black pump. I love them!"

A shout out to Dusty, who was spinning fire at Confluence Park on Sunday night with Maquette and the rest of the tribe who meet there to hang out, play with matches and enjoy each other's company. We here at The Cat's Pajamas love Dusty because the twelve-year-old already has her own personal style and carries herself with a sense of confidence. Definitely a "you go girl" moment to watch her in the firelight.

Try this blog on for size: It's the first installment of The Cat's Pajamas, Amy Haimerl's blog on fashion.

The best part about fashion is its magic, its power to transform. To make you taller, stronger, smarter, wittier. The right dress, the sharpest heels, and you feel larger than life. And unlike the feeling inspired by G&Ts, with fashion, you don't have to ask forgiveness in the morning. Well, most of the time.

There were a few ladies at the Highway to Hell fashion show held at the Church on Sunday night who may need to do some penance -- and not for their sloppy drinking habits.

First and foremost: Put down the formal shorts and leggings, in combination or solo. You may have seen Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan wearing them, but seriously — you're going to trust them to be your fashion icons? They look cracked out walking the red carpet — and you won't look any better because you don't have $1,000 an hour stylists doing their best to counteract those abominations. And a pox upon your house if you pair them with booties.

Then there's the whole dress-over-pants thing. I did it. Many of us did it. And there's no shame in succumbing to the trends on occasion. But not on the red carpet. I repeat, keep the dress over pants for that casual Saturday-afternoon-walking-the-dogs look. You'll appear fun, flirty, sporty, like you just threw it on but look like a million bucks. Wear it to a high-wattage fashion show, where everyone's out to one-up each other, and it's just confusing. Beffudling, really. Did she forget she still had pants on? Is she heading to a taping of What Not To Wear after this? Please, Oh Vogue, help us.

But if you're going to do it, don't then cuff the jeans and wear blase heels with a chipped pedicure.