As the season starts to swelter, street fashion takes a more easy-going, laid-back approach. Yet for these individuals, that doesn't mean compromising on style.

Take a gander at this week's subjects, who are creating their own looks.

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It's difficult to say exactly what "mod" means in 2012. Even when the movement reached its zenith in London in the early '60s, the definition wasn't clear: not quite hippie, not quite punk, not quite English, yet not quite American, either. Inventing a sort of bohemian dandy aesthetic, the mods wore pork-pie hats, listened to jazz records, gobbled down amphetamines like pac-man and rode Vespa scooters through London, on their way to fights with "the rockers." Ah, but some would say that's not quite right, either. In its evolutions from the Quadrophenia/mod-punk revival of the late '70s to the Britpop aesthetics of the mid-90s, what's considered mod has gone through many changes and titles -- yet, like the Supreme Courts definition of pornography, you know it when you see it.

Here in Denver, the mod lifestyle of high fashion, scooters and record-collecting has been growing, due in part to groups like the Denver Vintage Reggae Society, whose events allow people to get dressed up in mod (or skinhead, ska, northern soul, etc.) gear and dance to records made before most of them were even born. And this Friday, May 18, you can check out these bohemian dandies yourself at the Mods Mayday 2012 event at the Skylark Lounge, featuring DJs spinning ska and northern soul, as well as live music by The Manxx and The Sonic Archers.

Westword reached out to Mods Mayday 2012 event organizer Steve Antonio to discuss scooters, music and shopping for mod clothes in Denver.

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No broom, though.

On Saturday, when a collision of cultural celebrations -- the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo -- had people sporting big hats and sombreros all over town, one person's style statement definitely topped all others.

Every witch way.

Here's a look at this week's Denver street style.

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There are a few places where women without hats would seem dangerously close to naked: a Baptist church, the Kentucky Derby and Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebration. And for a hat to appear in conjunction with the latter -- the Queen, in her sixtieth year of Queendom, is known for her elegant headwear -- is possibly the highest point in the millinery world.

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All photos by Britt Chester

There was great fashion, loud music and heavy-pours, and probably some hooking-up and broken hearts: Yes, it was Derby day again in Denver! Apparently, there was also a horse race in Kentucky or something, but those people are all backwoods rednecks, anyway. There were giant hats to be worn, people!

Did we mention there was great fashion?!?! Below are a few memorable outfits, fits and faces of the Kentucky Derby parties we snuck into over the weekend.

Also see:
- Downtown Derby Debauchery
- 138th Kentucky Derby at Chloe and the Lobby

Now, onto the memorable Derby'ers.

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"A heavy metal punk rock outlaw."

When the sun goes down, nocturnal Denverites emerge and turn up their style swagger. Take a look at this week's trendsetters and rule-breakers -- caught in their natural environs of East 13th Avenue.

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It could be a holdover from Earth Day -- or even 4/20. This week we spotted many people on the street sporting the color green. But more savvy fashionistas looked to film or music for inspiration.

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Last night's Titanic-themed Frock Out fashion fete at the Denver Central Library was a subdued affair, especially when compared to the last one two years ago, which was both a fashion show and a good-humored freak show, and maybe a little too messy for some people's taste. But the styles marched out on the runway for 2012 by veteran Denver designer and Frock Out competitor Stephanie Ohnmacht were anything but dull, and took top honors in both the event's online public poll and the formal judging by professionals.

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"Liberty," 1997. Gijs Bakker, Netherlands.

"While President George H.W. Bush had been known for saying 'Read my lips,' I began urging colleagues and reporters to 'Read my pins.'" -- Madeleine Albright.

That's the basic story behind Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection, an exhibit opening Sunday at the Denver Art Museum. A showcase of more than 200 pins from the former U.S. Secretary of State's own collection, the fabulous brooches signify much more than Albright's wicked sense of style. Each one also has a story attached, a hidden meaning culled from her life in the global political arena. The mixture of fashion and history is fascinating, and -- as you can see from the photo preview that follows -- also quite glamorous.

All photos by John Bigelow Taylor.

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As April blooms, the occasional snow reminds us that it's Colorado; we view a daring array of fashion hitting the sidewalks. Some of the latest and greatest combinations are being sported by elegant individuals in the city of Denver. This week, accessories are what made the outfit. Be it smokey neutrals or eye-poping pastels, accessories in spring are the cat's meow, and hiss as well.

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