Why Sienna Miller's noughties boho style is still influencing how we dress now

“People just liked what I wore,” Sienna Miller said recently of her much-imitated boho style in the noughties. “But then it got frustrating. I’d walk past the high street and see my beautiful Moroccan belt that I’d found in some obscure market being sold for like, three quid.”

It’s a bit of a humblebrag, but it’s also true. Miller, now 39, was the poster girl for a certain kind of luxe-hippy, global nomad aesthetic. Coupled with her meteoric rise to fame in 2004 and her relationship with Jude Law, she was the celebrity that young women like me at the time wanted to look like.

There were some key ingredients to nailing the style: the loose-fitting embroidered top or dress; a floppy felt hat; a waistcoat of some variety, an embellished belt (slung low around the hips rather than the waist), and gladiator sandals. Loose, artfully messy hair and a year-round Ibiza tan completed the look.

Most of Miller’s clothes were either vintage finds or designer pieces - she was particularly close with Matthew Williamson, who dressed her for many red carpet events. I would trawl Portobello Market for lookalike finds, but when the high street started selling affordable versions too, it became a lot easier to imitate.

And imitate we did. Retailers like Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Warehouse began making Sienna-like pieces on a mass scale and the look saturated fashion. It meant everyone and anyone could be boho, no obscure Moroccan market required.

The appeal was not just because Miller wore it well. It was also easy and inexpensive to replicate. Flowing printed dresses and tops don’t require you to be a size zero, nor do you have to bare a lot of skin if you’re not comfortable with it. The boho look is sexy, but not in a tacky way - instead, it suggests the wearer has an easygoing, fun-seeking approach to life.

And we still love it. It seems every summer there are a few pieces that echo the boho aesthetic - it speaks so much to who we want to be in the summer months; effortlessly stylish and carefree.

This summer is no exception, though 2021 boho is less heavy handed than the 2006 version. “This summer’s take is pared-back and elegant: so it’s yes to flowing prints, no to jangly belts and fringed shawls,” wrote my colleague Bethan Holt recently in her Stella magazine column. “The aim is less hippie-trail tourist, more Loulou de la Falaise hanging out at Yves Saint Laurent’s villa in Marrakech.”

As boho returns to the fashion fore, so too has Miller, who has been doing publicity for her new film, Wander Darkly, but these days, she’s more pared-back in the way she dresses. “I like that I was part of a moment in fashion that will be like a Halloween costume,” she told Australia’s Daily Telegraph. “I think it was probably [about] confidence in the way that when you’re young, you want to be the one to stand out; now I’m happy to blend in.”

Her look today is certainly more understated. She’s regularly seen wearing Gucci, as well as Alessandra Rich. She’s more likely to step out in mom jeans than a floaty dress - and even though she’s criticised the high street for copying her noughties boho style, she’s not averse to the odd piece from Mango or Nobody’s Child. It’s less hippy, more low-key luxury.

But blending in? I can’t see that happening. She continues to dress in an inspiring way, and as long as she’s wearing looks that we want to emulate, she’ll never fall off our radar completely.

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