M&S’s new blonde? Super stylish Sienna Miller: The 41-year-old star is the sophisticated new face of the brand – and there’s not a ditsy print midi in sight

• The actress and soon to be mother of two fronts M&S ’s Anything But Ordinary campaign
• READ MORE: Savannah Miller is back with a new super-sophisticated label. Get in line for… Stealth wealth that starts at £25

Just when you thought her pregnancy would be Sienna Miller’s only big news this autumn, another reveal comes hot on its heels.

The 41-year-old actress and soon to be mother of two is the new face of Marks & Spencer’s Autumn 2023 campaign, joining TV presenter Holly Willoughby as one of the High Street chain’s key brand ambassadors.

Miller fronts M&S’s Anything But Ordinary campaign, and the pairing is ‘a perfect fit’ according to womenswear director Maddy Evans. 

‘Sienna is the epitome of the modern woman — confident, empowered, and effortlessly chic. [She has] an impeccable sense of style and innate ability to make a statement through fashion,’ she says.

The same could be said for Evans, who ever since arriving at M&S from TopShop in 2019, has presided over a rise in fashion sales.

M&S Collection jumper, £35

M&S Collection faux shearling aviator jacket, £79; top, £12.50; satin slip skirt, £35, and heeled boots, £49.50

M&S Collection checked coat, £89; boots, £79; belt, £25 and gloves, £19.50

M&S isn’t breaking radical new ground by hiring Miller — she and Willoughby could almost be sisters were they not both born in 1981. 

In terms of fashion, however, Miller’s day-to-day style, which saw her almost as revered as Kate Moss in the early Noughties, is markedly different from that of her predecessor.

Where Willoughby is a staunch fan of a printed dress, Miller’s style is more eclectic and androgynous, a fact reflected by the clothes she models in the new campaign.

The checked blazer (£75), casual white shirt (£29.50) and wide-leg cargo jeans (£45) worn in one image are particularly true to the actress’s neutral style, while a vivid lime green skirt (£35) and matching jumper (£29.50) and scarf (£17.50) mirrors her more eclectic side.

In addition to revealing Miller as the new face of M&S, the store also showcased its entire new autumn collection — and it’s a hit. 

More of a consolidation of last autumn’s biggest successes than a move into brave new territory, it largely avoids previous complaints of being too expensive, confusing and youthful, and wisely focuses on that modern sweet spot: clothes that are smart enough to wear to work, but not too formal to wear outside of it.

This ‘high-low’ approach to dressing is key, for if there’s one thing the modern woman prizes above all else these days, it’s versatility. 

She wants a wardrobe that works as hard as she does, and can cater equally to those days when she works from home as in the office.

M&S Collection dress, £49.50; bomber jacket, £59; belt, £25; bag, £39.50 and boots, £79

M&S Collection blazer, £75; jeans, £45; shirt, £29.50 and loafers, £55

A hybrid work model requires a hybrid wardrobe, and M&S broadly delivers, with hooded jumpers and drawstring joggers for casual days as well as shirts and blazers for more formal ones. 

In a soft, neutral colour palette with colour pops of lime and cobalt, everything is designed to be dressed up or down at whim.

Much like Johnnie Boden, who admitted he’d been a ‘nitwit’ for making Boden too ‘trendy’ and causing profits to slump, M&S is making a concerted effort not to intimidate its core customer.

Mini-skirts may be a catwalk trend, but the store has put its money firmly behind longer lengths, such as a brown satin slip skirt (£35) that could be dressed up with a blazer or made more casual with a jumper.

The store has also prioritised improving on its bestsellers. ‘Our focus continues on making the big, bigger,’ says Evans, citing denim as a cornerstone. 

Denim sales have grown steadily, cementing its market share in the category at 13 per cent, up from 10 per cent two years ago. Sales of casual dresses also grew by 40 per cent in 2022.

What the collection lacks in new direction, it makes up for in variety and focus. Monthly updates will cater nimbly to seasonal changes, with cold weather dressing a priority in October. 

November will shift focus into partywear, with similar versions of the store’s wide-leg sequinned trousers that proved a sell-out last year, such as a burnished silver pair, £55, with the option of a matching blouson jacket, £75.

M&S Collection coat, £89; trousers, £39.50; jumper, £35 and trainers, £49.50

M&S Collection, waistcoat, £39.50; trousers, £39.50; blazer, £69 and T-shirt, £12.50

Those who prefer to snuggle rather than sparkle will be well-served by the chain’s outerwear, which runs the gamut from a £79 aviator jacket to a £59 bomber jacket, to a £79 boucle-effect coat in pillarbox red.

For those with a bigger budget, a belted black leather trench coat by Autograph (£350) will fit the (slightly hefty) bill. No doubt Miller will be spotted wearing one before the year is out.

After seven years in New York, the actress has moved back to London, making her perfectly placed to fly the flag for British fashion. 

As one of the most copied women on the planet, M&S couldn’t have placed its bets on a surer winner in the style stakes.

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