Remember when Tommy Ton threw the whole world into fits of jealousy after shooting French Vogue’s Emmanuelle Alt wearing Isabel Marant’s studded booties mere hours after last season’s show?

Because we do - and despite their sold out status, we’re still lusting for them. So is Steve Madden. Surprised? Just another opportunity for him to cash in on someone else’s great design.

Steve’s Blitzi booties are an obvious knock-off of Isabel’s Rider. He’s managed black suede, a rounded toe and the low slung black leather strap underneath the studded cuff. His studs are silver, which is spot on, but he got lazy in the back and replaced Marant’s black suede cone heel with a chunk of square brown synthetic wood - they’re still almost $200.

Save your pennies for when Marant opens that Soho store early next year.

Celine, Director of PR for Eres and Bourjois

Got Her: Jill Stuart show, New York Public Library

Stalked Her: Because redheads can definitely pull off red, especially this Isabel Marant dress with an Eres bra showing (of course!)

Shot Her: Um, that necklace (Fendi) and those booties (Stella) made us squeal just a little bit. And the purple!

She Said: “This is my friend’s necklace that she never wears. I told her she was stupid for not wearing it.” We agree.

We Say: We wish we were as cool as all the French girls we see. It just looks so darn effortless. Sigh.

There was a universal call-out yesterday of all the designer’s who’ve riffed on Balmain’s distinct Fall 08 and Spring 09 designs - the reviews of Christophe Decarnin’s Fall 09 clothes called for something new so that all the other houses would have something fresh to copy.

With that in mind, it was all the more interesting to watch Isabel Marant’s homage walk down the runway this afternoon. Granted, her stiff shouldered mini-jackets started out in colorful tweeds and florals on Erin Wasson and Lily Donaldson, they were black on Lara Stone and Carmen Kass in no time.

Beneath them lay navy pants, grey jersey minis and tees, ruched silk skirts, zippered leggings, leopard print flounces and of course thigh-high boots. There was also fur, which looked too fake - even from the fourth row.

The great thing about Isabel Marant is that it’s wearable and chic, but the shiny leopard pants were trying too hard for the latter. We should have been looking at the collection, instead we were focused on the A-list models and Julia Roitfeld’s Christopher Kane sequins.

If you’d told fourteen-year-old me that in ten years I’d be sitting across the aisle from JC Chasez, the editor-in-chief of French Vogue, American Vogue and Paris Hilton at Justin Timberlake’s fashion show in New York, I’d have thought you were mad.

When Carine magically appeared in the first row decked in pink Margiela fur, heads huddled, “Are we at the right show?…What is she doing here?”

Then suddenly Anna was there, with Bee, just four seats away, “Um, we must be at the wrong show. I just wanted to see what Jessica Biel looks like in person. William Rast doesn’t even advertise in Vogue! I’m so confused.”

But then, thankfully, JC Chasez and his bright blue sweater vest sat just one seat from Carine (awkward!) and I knew I was in the right tent. I also suddenly remembered the moves to my 1999 cheerleading dance to “Bye, Bye, Bye”.

Meanwhile, the Americana collection paraded down the runway. The clothes were inspired by movies like Thelma & Louise; they reminded me of Isabel Marant’s Spring collection, very Western with fringe, studs, beaded embroidery, feathers and patchwork denim. Even Justin managed to work in a bit of Balmain influence with shoulder pads inside his vintage-like t-shirts.

Alas, no Jessica Biel, but Carine and JT in the same room more than made up for it.

Update: Apparently, she was there. Oops, now you know just how big the tent is!

After having taken the entire summer off (she told IMG, her agency, that she was even turning off her cell phone), Daria Werbowy is in full force for 2009.

First she popped up in the Roberto Cavalli campaign (sometimes alongside Kate), then Isabel Marant (at left), then the February cover of Australian Vogue - and now she’s been named the face of Matthew Williamson’s H&M line - not her first foray with the Swedish megabrand - a campaign that will include television commercials alongside the designer himself (modeling the menswear), marking his own debut as a model.

Not too shabby considering all he has to do is keep it together next to the Canadian wonder model - but we’re wondering whether this means lines for Daria on TV, of course.

We should just write one form post that reads like this:

__________ showed ruffled dresses and tops layered under ________ jackets. The collection took a turn for ___________ toward the end with sheer ________ and some sort of _______ jumpsuit.

That’s pretty much how Isabel Marant went. The fill-in words would be Isabel Marant, denim, the fancy, pants and childish.

The collection was shown to an all American soundtrack, or the French version of one, including Kids in America, then Crimson and Clover, Bette Davis Eyes, and Candy.

The show took place across from the Eiffel Tower to an audience including very American socialites who wouldn’t look twice at the clothes if they hung in the Levi’s store, (because that’s where it looked like most of them belonged), but will no doubt eat up the bootie shorts, crocheted rompers and cut-out tops.

Or at least, that’s what we want.

There’s a little store tucked into the delis and barbershops on the northern end of Bedford Ave. that we have trouble walking past every day.

Jumelle carries about twenty labels on three racks including the best of Sonia Rykiel, Isabel Marant, Devotte, APC, Lover, Alexander Wang, Les Prairies de Paris - the store is our ideal closet. Especially when you throw in their small selection of accessories and jewels by local Brooklyn artisans.

It’s owned by Candice Waldron, a former journalist and TV producer, and managed by her twin sister, hence the store’s French name.

The best part is, they have great sales, including their summer sale which starts today and goes up to 75% off. The sale’s online too, but not everything in the store is online.

So, we’ll see you there after work.

To: Natalie@Fashionista.com

From: ShirtDresses@Francophile.com

Hey!

Went to the sale at Curve yesterday, and your favorite (Isabel Marant) is very on sale.

They’re about half-way through, but there’s still a lot of good stuff left, sometimes marked down 50%.

There’s also some Vivienne Westwood and Jenni Kayne, in case you’re interested.

xo

Curve is at Mercer right near Spring. See you later…

My first official French purchase was a top from Isabel Marant.

I knew just from passing the window on the street that this flowy, yellow and white checked top was the exact degree of light handed pretty that I wanted to project that particular summer. I have been one of her devoted followers ever since.

A sign that we’re fashion soul mates? She made the exact top that I have been searching endlessly for - tan and almost-red, plaid, but only subtly (look 33.)

I don’t hear enough about Isabel Marant over here. I’m not sure why - her clothes are so perfectly wearable, and not at all in the boring sense.

Couldn’t you see the dress at left on a 75-degree day?