Diesel’s utilitarian aesthetic era is written all over this jacket. Military clothing, workwear and industrial detailing were never treated particularly literally by the brand; they were things to be dismantled, exaggerated and rebuilt into something far more fashion-led. This longline charcoal-grey jacket captures that approach brilliantly — tough in its references, distinctly feminine in its proportions and just eccentric enough to be unmistakably Diesel.

The shape alone sets it apart. Measuring approximately 17 inches pit to pit against a striking 30-inch length, it is unusually long and lean, with extensive vertical seaming creating a fitted, almost sculpted line through the body before the jacket continues towards the thigh. Button-fastened shoulder epaulettes, a high stand collar and press-stud throat fastening establish the military influence immediately, but the elongated proportions prevent it from ever resembling a conventional field jacket. Fastened up, there is almost a jacket-dress quality to the silhouette; opened up, it becomes a much more relaxed longline utility layer.

And then come the details — because restraint was clearly not the objective here. Substantial DIESEL-branded metal-effect buttons run down the front, accompanied by tiny flashes of contrasting red stitching. Two small badges appear across the chest: a wonderfully retro yellow Diesel logo alongside a quirky red-and-blue butterfly motif with tiny stars. That butterfly is a particularly good piece of Diesel mischief; sitting amongst epaulettes, industrial hardware and washed cotton, it introduces something playful and unexpectedly feminine without softening the overall attitude.

The lower half continues the utilitarian theme with two functional zipped pockets, their dark brown trim and long leather pullers standing out beautifully against the charcoal cloth. Further tabs and stitched sections break up the waist, while the double-button cuffs carry the same substantial branded hardware found elsewhere. There is an almost engineered quality to the construction, as though every obvious place for another seam, tab, fastening or piece of hardware was considered — and quite a few of them survived the meeting.

The back takes that philosophy considerably further. What could easily have been left as a simple fitted panel has instead become an elaborate arrangement of overlapping shapes, horizontal bands, tabs and curved stitching, centred around that extraordinary large circular panel. It is gloriously over-designed in the best possible sense. There is no anonymous back view here; from behind, the jacket arguably becomes even more interesting, turning practical military inspiration into something approaching wearable industrial design.

The 100% cotton cloth is equally important to the character. Its charcoal grey isn’t pristine or uniform but deliberately washed and weathered, allowing raised seams, panel edges and construction details to emerge through subtle changes in tone. The raw-looking finish around the lower hem belongs naturally to the same deconstructed language, complemented by aged-effect metalwork, brown pocket detailing, leather zip pullers and those tiny interventions of red thread.

The Made in Hong Kong production is another interesting part of the piece and sits naturally alongside its vintage/Y2K character. Rather than feeling like a modern interpretation of an older look, the combination of the branding, construction, washed treatment and unapologetically utilitarian styling places it firmly within the design language associated with Diesel around the turn-of-the-century era.

It is that combination which makes the Y2K utilitarian aesthetic so convincing here. Rather than simply borrowing a military jacket and altering the fit, Diesel has taken the whole vocabulary — epaulettes, utility pockets, tabs, hardware, rugged cotton and functional construction — and pushed it through its own highly individual design language. Even the apparent contradictions work: a butterfly beside military hardware, feminine waist shaping against weathered cotton, and an almost elegant longline silhouette covered in industrial-looking construction.

There are certainly easier ways to make a grey jacket. Thankfully, Diesel chose none of them. The 30-inch longline cut, slender proportions, high military collar, button-fastened epaulettes, branded hardware, Diesel and butterfly badges, leather-pull zipped pockets, raw-edged finish and extraordinary panelled back combine into a piece with genuine identity from every angle.

For anyone drawn to vintage Diesel, Y2K fashion and the utilitarian aesthetic of the era, this is precisely the sort of older piece that explains the renewed interest: recognisably of its time, wonderfully individual, and still capable of making an otherwise straightforward outfit look considerably more interesting.