You’d have to be color-blind not to notice that Ashanti and Alicia copied Jessica’s creamsicle color scheme.

DRESS LIKE JESS

By LAURA VOGEL

March 23, 2004 — IF imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Jessica Simpson’s ego should be off the charts. She may be a tad, well, vacant on matters of tuna and buffalo wings, but she’s a Mensa-level genius when it comes to fashion.

Her style sense is so shrewd that a swath of other actresses and music divas have hit the red carpet mimicking some of Simpson’s hottest looks.

Take this creamsicle dress, which the 23-year-old star of "The Newlyweds" sported to a Golden Globes party in January.

Just two weeks later, both Alicia Keys and Ashanti borrowed that creamy color scheme for their ensembles for the Grammys.

Or check out the op-art polka-dot Marc by Marc Jacobs top Simpson wore on stage at a New Year’s Eve performance (see next page).

A week later, Hollywood "It Girl" Scarlett Johansson turned up in the same ultra-chic blouse at a Beverly Hills party.

And then there’s the furry DKNY boots Simpson took the stage in at another December concert.

Sure enough, Christina Aguilera was later spotted in - you guessed it - a carbon copy of those boots.

But it’s Jessica’s mother, Tina Simpson, who likely deserves a lot of credit for Jessica’s skyrocketing fashion currency, acting as her daughter’s personal stylist.

"I love Jessica in color," Tina has said - which explains why Jessica stands out so much in a sea of black.

Tina keeps a close rein on how much skin she allows her daughter to bear, but for evening, she relaxes the rules.

"It was late-night TV, so she could go sexier," Tina said, referring to a skimpy, black Roberto Cavalli vest she chose for Jessica to wear on "The Late Show With David Letterman."

Mother and daughter have become fashion-show fixtures - Michael Kors is a particular fave - and are obviously taking notes on runway looks.

And everyone else, it seems, is taking notes on them.

Sister act

Nicky and Paris Hilton must not suffer from sibling rivalry -they wore the same satin minidress (albeit in different hues) within a few months of each other.

Photo finish

Mandy Moore wore the exact same pumpkin-colored, ruched-satin Lanvin dress a mere two days before Claire Danes pulled it off the rack for an awards gala at the Tavern on the Green.

Golden girls

Britney Spears got a leg up on Scarlett Johansson with her debut of a stunning Roberto Cavalli dress - a few weeks before Johansson’s less imp-ressive red-carpet walk.

Hats off

Pink wore a paisley Gucci gown to a London launch party for her new Pepsi commercial, but Alicia Keys, who showed up in the same dress two months later, wore the strappy bodice number much more lyrically.

Simply Simpson-esque

Hot dots: Scarlett Johansson sparkled in a polka dotted Marc by Marc Jacobs top at a Golden Globes party, but Jessica Simpson had worn a version of it more than a month before.

Worlds collide: Simpson and Sarah Michelle Gellar showed up to the same event in matching silky tops from uber-hip boutique Foley + Corinna - though Simpson did hit the red carpet first.

But she can’t always win: Salma Hayek wore this elegant Louis Vuitton cocktail dress a little over three months before Simpson donned the same chic number.