John Hickenlooper: fashion plate?

Folks were skeptical when news broke that Denver's mayor is one of 36 city leaders featured in the style section of the September issue of Esquire magazine.

After all, this is a man who readily confesses to owning just a handful of suits and donning well-worn belts and shoes during his campaign. And let's not even talk about that cheap haircut.

But if Esquire equates style with consistency, Hickenlooper's definitely in fashion. We took a look through our photo archives, where the mayor's dark suit, white shirt and red-checked tie combo popped up over and over and over again.

For his magazine look, left, Esquire upped Hickenlooper's style quotient by outfitting him in a $1,275 Emporio Armani two-button wool suit, a $575 Dolce & Gabbana cotton shirt and a $160 Prada silk tie during a photo shoot at the recent annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Los Angeles.

Here's a look at his Denver style.