Loving Her Style: Sienna Miller

Someone whose been killing it lately since her re-emergence onto the scene is actress and ‘it girl’ Sienna Miller.

Although I coveted her shaggy fringed hair in Layer Cake and have always thought she was absolutely stunning, in the past I haven’t rated her style, despite it pretty much defining the mid 2000s. 

Gypsy skirts and pirate boots were never my thing at all, the opposite of the sleek, stark style I usually favour.

Everyone knew her for Jude Law, her ubiquitousness on the party scene and at Glastonbury, and her famed modern hippy luxe look.

Then she pretty much went down in a flame of scandal after being accused of consorting with a married man and making absolute turkeys like GI Joe.

Lately, newly enshrined in motherhood (is a baby the ultimate image rehab or what?), she has re-emerged with better films, and a much better wardrobe.

She looks incredible at the moment. Glowing skin, flawless style and one of the best haircuts around.

Here’s a little run down of her best moments lately:

Clashing Stripes –Altuzarra

This look is so flawless, and by the grin on her face I’d say she knows it too.

Navy and white stripes are so classic as to almost be a neutral – unseen -  but that’s challenged here by the contrast of the diagonal panels on the skirt and the linear stripes on the blouse. It looks so effortless and yet so put together – a masterful modern twist on a trad pattern.

The silhouette of panelled midi skirt and relaxed fit blouse is a nice one – its not too try hard, but the band of material at the top of the skirt just emphasises a slim waist enough. The dash of red on the lips and the silver snake collar inject the right amount of flare without detacting from the stripes.

The only thing I’m not too wild about are the shoes. They aren’t sharp enough for the rest of the look -  there’s something very retro and 1940s about the strappy style that seems out of sink with the stark, bold patterning.

A cage heel or a nude pump – or even something leftfield in red, would have been better.

Oriental blossom -  Miu Miu

This look is so divine, and it stood out in a sea of bland gowns at this years Golden Globes as a breath of fresh air.

Sugary sweet, this is almost a fantasy princess frock, but a few things stop it declining into sickly territory. The first is the hair, which is undoubtedly the star of the show lately. Miller has redefined the bob with her choppy, blunt mop of curls.

It shows how versatile shorter hair can be, and its still soft enough to flatter here. Long, tumbling locks would have catapulted this pastel pink duchesse silk creation into Barbie territory, but the hair is edgy and yet romantic enough to balance it out.

The other thing that cuts the sweet factor is the super-low neckline. That style is all over this years red carpets, but its usually done in a different way – marrying it here with the feminine hue and embroidery completely softens it and stops it being confrontational. The fairytale princess aspect is thrown a little off balance with the exposure, but still retains an elegant aspect.

Lastly, who wouldn’t be blown away by the truly stunning, oriental embroidery of sequins, pearls and crystals?

Beautifully intricate and with that gossamer back, this is a dress that could easily take over the wearer, but to me, Miller’s joie de vive shines through.

Sheer delight – Balenciaga

This is pure perfection and my absolute favourite of her latest looks.

A dress of contrasts, this does so many things while also looking simple. It’s a testament to the designer’s craftsmanship that you cram in diamond fringed appliqués, sheer ruched sleeves, a crossover satin bodice, high waisted panties and a textured midi-skirt and still retain a clean overall look.

The cross over, Bardot style top is gorgeous and because of the short hairstyle, there’s no interference with its sculptural lines.

The peek-a-boo look with celebs flashing their control pants is a little bit overdone at this point, but if I had a figure like she does after having had a baby, I’d want to jump on that bandwagon too.

The demure colour and skirt length pulls it to the right side of Burlesque territory. Adding texture to the fabric rather than a straight forward sheer mesh ads lots of interest.

The only thing I’d change would perhaps be the sleeves – they’re a little Disney on Ice – and the shoes again! White platform ankle strappers are far too matchy for this look. A tougher shoe would cut through the frillier aspects of the dress and provide a fresh contrast.

White Hot Noise - Calvin Klein

The all-white obsession continues on a visit to the Calvin Klein frow. Of course, its clean, modern and makes her look angelic – I wonder if that’s part of the image rehab? A literal whitewash…anyway, it certainly works.

Her ivory mesh-knit dress is paired beautifully with this long pea coat. The texturing in the fabric adds interest and depth to the one-colour outfit – a masterclass in multi-dimensional, atonal dressing.

Even ice queen Anna seems impressed by Miller’s reinvention, though she was famously scathing of her former cover star a few years ago and called her ‘toothy’ (better than toothless, though, eh?)

The merger of retro and ultra modern in the coat-over-dress approach is also working here too. Again, the shoes are totally the weak link here. A pair of cut out ankle boots would have worked wonders where these not-quite-kitsch-enough platforms flag.

Down the rabbit hole – Paper Denim and Cloth

So how does her new style fare when it comes to casuals? Pretty damn well judging by this ensemble.

The time honoured blazer, tee and jeans look is updated with the addition of super-holey, bleached out boyfriends. This is grown-up grunge redux and it really works.

Sienna does the 90s is something new from the actress and it shows a more mature way to address every teen’s favourite throwback years.

The structured, sober black bag works wonderfully well to balance out the outfit. The shoes, for once, are on point as well, with a rope-braided style adding intricacy to the jeans.

By adopting a looser silhouette on top and bottom, Miller could be risking swamping her petite frame, but the fitted blazer does the trick of visually nipping her in.

Velvet Underground – J Brand

Smooth, sleek, and touchable velvet is both ultra-modern and highly vintage, so these jeans from J Brand give a nod to Miller’s patchouli scented past style while making it bang up to date.

Pairing the subtle but stand out strides with an undertstated loose nude blouse, nude suede heels and a tailored navy coat is toned down luxe dressing at its best. It looks very simple, and very expensive.

Seeing Miller in full on mummy mode its interesting to note how her style adapts – more trousers, looser tops, less fuss.

I like also that we get to see how that structured cut works when she hasn’t been in front of a hairdresser – it’s a little fuzzy and less polished, but the sharp length still highlights her killer cheekbones.

Top of the Crops – Miu Miu

A complete look from the Spring 2015 runway, Sienna scores triple points here. Because this says ‘I have my finger on the fashion pulse still’, it says ‘I’m a sweet thing really’ and it also says ‘Look, I had a baby and I still have better abs than you!’.

Again, it’s a more feminine look that we’ve seen her in previously. There’s something very ‘Modern Marilyn’ about the pencil skirt and the hair.

The coat is beautiful (if a shade ‘Queen Mum’ in that dusty pink shade)but I love the clash of that with the poppy red, it looks insanely good.

I don’t even hate the pointy black Louboutins – they’re less obvious than a nude shoe, somehow.

Change Your Stripes – A.L.C

In a more casual look here, and its possibly my favourite of the bunch.

Love the punchy royal blue colour on her, love the skater silhouette with the bold black stripes and leather detailing, and I particularly love the chunky heeled peep toe boots (I will be buying my very own pair of these shortly).

There’s a punk edge to this that plays nicely with the angelic looks she can bring to the party. The silhouette shows off her amazing figure without being too try hard as well – there’s an ‘undone’ edge to all her outfits at the moment that really works, its almost Parisian.

So, what do you think of Sienna’s style lately? Is she killing it or do you miss her hippie queen days?