by Lia Haberman E! ONLINE

No need to place Winona Ryder under citizen's arrest. Those threads she's wearing are legit.

Despite being a target in infamous Ryder's sticky-fingered Saks spree, designer Marc Jacobs reportedly hopes to cast the Oscar-nominated actress in his spring 2003 campaign. It's the least he could do in exchange for all the free publicity.

Jacobs' trendy gear was among the items found in Ryder's grab bag when she was arrested for shoplifting from the tony Saks Fifth Avenue department store in Beverly Hills.

Store security guards nabbed Ryder red-handed last December, toting a fashion-savvy stash of hot goods, including a Marc Jacobs sweater valued at $760. Other designers deemed worthy of theft by the actress: Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Natori and Calvin Klein. The total haul came in at just under $6,000.

The Reality Bites star was found guilty last month of felony grand theft and vandalism and sentenced to community service, counseling and ordered to pay $10,000 in fines.

"Winona accepts responsibility for what happened on [the day of her arrest]," said a statement released by her publicist at that time. "She will fulfill her sentence as laid out by the judge."

That was good enough for Jacobs' camp. "We would like to use Winona. She's been a very good customers of ours," the label's president, Robert Duffy, told London's Sun. "Of course, it will be controversial, but not in a negative way. She has been wearing Marc Jacobs for years."

Even as she was found guilty, the tastefully attired actress, who made People magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People of 2002 list today, scored points with fashion critics for her courtroom wardrobe, which, yes, included Jacobs' signature duds.

Unlike many of her Tinseltown contemporaries, Ryder, 31, kept her high-priced bod well covered--nothing too short, too tight, too flashy or too revealing. During the trial she favored demure dresses paired with hair-taming headbands, a prim image that seemed to be a calculated attempt at maintaining her innocence.

It appears the disgraced actress will now get a second chance with the fashion community. She'll pose for fashion photog, Juergen Teller, for Jacobs' spring/summer 2003 ad campaign in Los Angeles next month, reports Women's Wear Daily.

Calls to Ryder and Jacobs' publicists were not returned.

Other notable faces who've modeled for Jacobs include actress turned director Sofia Coppola, supermodel Stephanie Seymour, rock progeny Lisa Marie Presley and Italian actress Asia Argento.