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How's this for some serious personal style? The self-appointed Disco Bicuits -- Francois Palloux, Justin Cochran, Jason Barzel and Jerome Hermelin of Le Central -- got down with their badselves during the annual Turkey Trot race to benefit the Food Bank of the Rockies. And while Cat doesn't normally go looking for fashion icons at anything involving turkeys or racing, she just couldn't help herself with this photo. Especially because it's so reminiscent of the much-beloved Denver Kick Ball Coalition Commish, Joe Phillips, who abandoned us last year for L.A.

On November 16, the boys of Le Central competed against teams from Bistro Vendome, Warwick Hotel, L'Absinthe, Brasserie 1010 in Boulder, Smooth Jazz and SWS-CO, each of them pushing frozen turkeys back and forth in shopping carts. (Buggies Cat used to call them, having grown up in Colorado; but then she was mocked out of New York for the colloquialism, and carts they became.) The Disco Bicuits won the day (and how could they not in those short shorts), each taking home a prize three-litre bottle of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2006 in honor of the first wine of the harvest. The winery also donated $7,000 and 32 frozen turkeys to Food Bank of the Rockies.

Cat'll disco to that.

Denver finally made an appearance on the super-groovy site The Cool Hunter: Roaming the Globe So You're in the Know. So what got us there? The Hamilton building? The new Clyfford Still museum? The Lab at Belmar? Or maybe some of our local designers?

Nope. Denver Water. That's what got us onto The Cool Hunter. Those smarty pants are enamored by local ad firm Sukle's "Use Only What You Need" campaign. It is rather clever — after all Sukle does the funny Noodles & Company ads -- but the bigger question is, who at Denver Water decided to modernize the behemoth's look and attitude? They deserve a raise.

Joe Sloan over at Denver Water won't point a finger, he'll just say that the board awarded the contract and that it looks like Sukle (who had the contract once previously) will be creating their look for the next three years.

How cool.

This is the last weekend of the Denver International Film Festival, and dressing for such an occasion is no easy task. You want to look hip in case you get caught by any of the roving paparazzi, but you also want to be comfortable because, well, you'll be on your ass all day long. It's sort of like the air travel dilemma: Cat always wants to bring the glamour of the old-school flying to her expeditions, but the reality of five hours on a plane often trumps that fantasy. To solve the conundrum, Cat went to local filmmaker Anne Macomber, who knows a thing or three about screening rooms. Here's her advice (with photos shot by her two-and-a-half-year-old, Daisy. Seriously. Smart kid.):

Ass-tastic jeans: "The most expensive jeans you own. Why the most expensive, you ask? Because the older I get, the more I realize there is a direct correlation between the cost of your pants and how good your butt looks. $180 jeans actually come with the ass of a 16 year old in them."

Black is the new black: "Whenever I try to break out and wear something in a color (like brown or gray) I feel way too flashy at these things. So black. And for me, a black sweater because it's always cold in theatres. And it won't show buttered-popcorn stains."

Jacket sense: "I prefer one that is warm (see above note about AC in theatres), black and sort of euro-looking. Sort of."

These boots are made for sitting: "Boots with heels. At these things, taller is always better. And you can get away with really uncomfortable ones because you'll be sitting down the whole time. And if you feel compelled to wear a color, at least wear one that is mainly covered up by your jeans."

You've heard it straight from the horse's mouth. Literally. Anne finds out in December if her new film -- Little Horses Big Dreams, which "follows the story of a miniature plastic horse named Helga as she comes out of retirement for a chance to qualify for the Model Horse nationals" — made it into Sundance. Cat has her paws crossed.

It has become obvious to me that we need to have a little heart-to-heart about what we put on our feet. Because if there's anything The Cat's Pajamas learned from reading Seventeen as kitten, it's never neglect your shoes. An outfit without the proper footwear is a fate worse than death, or sex without orgasm or oysters without lemon. You get the gravity of the situation.

Lesson One: Shoes come in colors other than black and hiking boot. While the Danskos and Hi-Tecs may be comfortable and completely appropriate for grabbing a quick beer in the neighborhood, Cat would like to see you stretch a little when you're at, say, a fashion show on a Friday night (as Cat was). Or having dinner at Frasca. Or even just out with the girls. Don't get Cat wrong, she has no qualm with comfort, but if left to its own devices, comfort becomes Uggs, which becomes Uggs with summer skirts in July. (Think Cat's crazy? Go visit the fabulously snarky girls over at www.gofugyourself.com and click on Paris Hilton.) So what to do? Try a red shoe, like these beauties that were worn by a rather drunk but still charming woman at the Lower Highlands Fashion Show.

Sometimes the art and fashion worlds collide — and they smacked together quite beautifully last Friday night at the Lower Highlands Fashion Show. Without even realizing it, Mona Lucero — namesake of the Mona Lucero boutique at 2544 15th Street and organizer of the show — presented a take on the Asian aesthetic that currently pervades both the Denver Art Museum and Robischon Gallery.

As part of the festivities for the grand opening of the Hamilton building, the DAM curators installed Japanese Art from the Colorado Collection of Kimiko and John Powers, which features more than 300 Japanese objects; RADAR: Selections from the Collection of Vicki and Kent Logan, a grouping of more than sixty paintings, sculptures and other works from artist around the globe, including dominating pieces from Japan and China; Engi by Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima, a special commission from the Denver Office of Art, Culture and Film's Public Art Program; and Floating Time: An Environment by Tatsuo Miyajima, which the Logans donated to the DAM in 2000 and is now on permanent display. At Robischon, the gallery co-director installed UNDER THE RADAR: Chinese Contemporary Art, which was quite the feat since the People's Republic of China still isn't exactly tossing its doors open wide to the West. But she got almost fifty pieces that represent the first wave of contemporary art to come out of China since Mao. (See Michael Paglia's review in Thursday's edition of the paper.)

So when The Cat's Pajamas walked into Mona Lucero's, she was immediately taken by a painting on the back wall that looked remarkably similar to Yan Lei's "Painting 14" (above) on display at Robischon. Then she saw the new silk skirts Mona is showing for fall (above). And then came the models with kabuki-like hair and makeup. But when Cat asked Mona if she was channeling RADAR, she was unaware of what was happening cross town; she's just always been inspired by Asian prints and contemporary Japanese pop-culture.

Alert: While in search of culottes (see below) be sure to hit Mona Lucero's fashion show happening tonight, from 6:30 to 11 p.m. at her boutique, Mona Lucero, 2544 15th Street. Cat loves her place and her beautiful-but-accessible pieces. She can't wait to see what's going down the catwalk tonight.

Here are some pictures of an amazing blue lace dress that Mona made. It's worn by local photographer and gal-about-town Anna Newell as part of Westword's "Summer Guide" fashion section earlier this year.

No, Cat has not been napping. But what with the election and the four hours and three voting lines she stood in this week, she hasn't been feeling all that perky and fashionable. Cat thought about sending in a front-line report of the sartorial style at St. Charles Rec Center or Glenarm Rec Center, but that seemed a lot like kicking people when they were already down. It's hard to look sophisticated and elegant -- or even funky and ironic -- while contemplating how best to throttle an election judge. Or the guy in front of you who, at 7 p.m., was just then reading the ballot initiatives.

But then The Cat's Pajamas heard something so chilling it jolted her out of her how-the-fuck-did-"I"-fail slump: culottes. Yes, culottes -- ku'lots, plural noun, women's trousers, usually knee-length or calf-length, cut full to resemble a skirt. Also, first sign of a fashion apocalypse -- have been spotted on the streets of Denver.

Jack Finlaw, the director of Denver's Division of Theaters and Arenas, has a handsome collection of cufflinks. He should -- he's been collecting since he was a boy. "I got my first pair when I was nine or ten," Finlaw says. "I wanted to copy my grandfather."

When he landed in London later in life, as an attorney, his passion grew because "everyone there wears cufflinks," particularly the silk knots known as "turtle heads." Since then, he's also collected a pair of silver rooster heads and numerous versions adorned with beautiful stones. The collection continues to expand when he makes it to New York and can "salivate" at Bergdorf Goodman. (Cat can't blame him; she salivates over a few things there herself.) Next on the list is a set crafted of sterling silver.

Skinnies or boot-cut jeans? Is black really the new black?

Getting stylishly dressed in the morning is hard enough, but what do you wear on election day if you're vying for Colorado's top job? The Cat's Pajamas decided to help Bob Beauprez and Bill Ritter out with that pressing question, and turned to Jung Park for a little advice. As the owner of Metroboom, the men's salon on Platte Street, Park spends his days turning the boys of Denver into the men of Denver -- with hair-styling, fashion advice and personal shoppers.

Grooming Beauprez and Ritter for the Governor's Mansion was no easy task, since Park had to balance a professional, you-can-trust-me look with a sense of style that keeps it real for the youth vote without veering into the ridiculous.

Here's what he came up with for Both Ways Bob: "We recommend an overall appearance that is conservative, but with a hint of contemporary accent. We start with a gray pinstripe suit with a white shirt and a red tie, and then add a twist by introducing a hip and cool baseball cap with camouflage print. The camo supports his patriotic stance on military presence in Iraq, while potentially recruiting a younger audience."

And for Hug an Illegal Bill? "We recommend an overall appearance that combines strength and compassion.

The classic navy pinstripe shirt represents his background as a prosecutor, and the warm pink shirt softens the tough image he has as a prosecutor. The pinstripe shirt is a classic look, but the cut and the style is contemporary and progressive. We feel that the combination of tough and soft may appropriately represent his political views."

Stop by on Monday and Tuesday, when Cat goes on a search-and-destroy styling mission for Janet "You Can't Marry Your Horse" Rowland and Barbara "It's About the Children" O'Brien.

Thanks to Audrey Hepburn's Gap commercial, skinny jeans are everywhere this fall. But, seriously, The Cat's Pajamas knows that unless you actually want to exaggerate those child-bearing hips, these things should only be worn by the tiniest of bulimics — and then only if they've got waif legs, too. So what to do if you actually eat and aren't a rocker strung out on coke all day? Is there a secret to picking out these jeans and looking fashion forward instead of fashion victim? Cat went to gal-about-town Summer Forrest, who owns Square 1 Denver, the denim shop in Larimer Square.

The good news is, she says you don't have to wear them. "You have to be really confident to wear skinnies," Forrest tells Cat. "So many women are afraid of them. In fact, I don't like them. I don't like the way they make my body look."

But if you do decide to succumb, she warns that cigarette jeans should only be worn with a high heel or a cute flat. "You have to go all the way — either way — with these. Nothing in between. No running shoes. ... They've been wearing them cropped because of the Gap commercial, but for fall I'm seeing them worn really long and scrunched up to look like legwarmers, too."

Also, go dark, very dark. Because like the color white, light denim has a way of adding about thirty pounds. Even the starlets are wearing their jeans in indigo.

But don't get too used to the lean silhouette, because for spring Forrest says she's seeing big, wide '70s bells coming into the shop.

Cat will just stick with her bootcuts, thank you very much.