Paris Fashion Week: Isabel Marant, hanging with the varsity team

More a stylist than a designer, Isabel Marant has an uncanny ability to gauge what the cool girls want to wear.

Her big news for spring? Denim is taking a back seat to corduroys in pastel colors, which came full-legged, cropped, or as cutoffs. The designer's signature slouchy boots aren't going anywhere, however. In fact, you will even be able to accessorize them with beaded ankle bracelets.

There was a varsity prep look to much of the collection, including a letter jacket with a cartoony map of Japan on the back, athletic mesh T-shirts, cropped long-johns that lace  in front, and a maroon-and-navy striped rugby shirtdress.

Marant may be onto something. With the Breton stripe trend still going strong, it's about time the rugby shirt took a fashionable turn, too.

-- Booth Moore in Paris

Isabel Marant spring-summer 2011 runway collection photo gallery

Photos: Looks from the Isabel Marant spring-summer runway collections shown during Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson & Peter Stigter / For The Times