Have you ever experienced love at first sight? That is what I felt when I first saw Sienna Miller in the film "Alfie." She was the only highlight for me in an otherwise lackluster film, an ill-conceived remake of the charming 1966 version featuring Michael Caine. When I first saw her long blonde hair, kohl-rimmed eyes, and peasant-chic wardrobe, I knew I had found my new role model. She was the embodiment of a revived Sixties girl, that quintessential swinging style that I for so long admired but could never quite achieve.
In the film Sienna plays Nikki, a free-spirited wild child with a penchant for rage blackouts and a dislike of her medication. The role was in itself a reimagining of the role Jane Asher had in the '66 version where she played Annie, a teenaged runaway who symbolized Swingin' London youth. Nikki is a rather complex character, a hopeless romantic who naively believes that all she needs is love -- because she is with Alfie, she believes her bipolarity has been cured and she will be happy all the time. Though Nikki is is the briefest paramour that Alfie has in the film, she is the most resonating.
Sienna's wardrobe is possibly my favorite from any film of recent years. Her shoulder-duster earrings, fur jackets & vests, crocheted sweaters, beat-up cowboy boots, gold chains, floppy hats, Moroccan belts, mocassin knee-highs, peasant skirts and blouses are as envious now as they were then. It was her look as Nikki that singlehandedly brought back full force the hippie look in 2004/2005, inspiring countless designers and fashionistas alike to be more "boho."