For a while, getting dressed was all about looking like you hadn't tried too hard.

Clean lines. Neutral colours. Minimal details. The kind of clothes that quietly suggested you had excellent taste without needing to announce it.

Then fashion remembered gold buttons existed.

The Napoleon jacket, with its sharp shoulders, elaborate braiding and unapologetically dramatic silhouette, is making its way back into the conversation. It's been spotted on the runways at McQueen, Dior and Ann Demeulemeester, and on everyone from Margot Robbie to Dua Lipa.

A jacket once associated with military uniforms, rockstars and the gloriously chaotic fashion of the 2000s is suddenly looking very relevant again.

And no, you don't need to be headed into battle to wear one.

FIRST, A LITTLE FASHION HISTORY

The Napoleon jacket isn't simply a recreation of something Napoleon Bonaparte wore.

Its signature details borrow from historical European military uniforms, particularly the ornate jackets worn by hussar cavalry regiments. Think structured shoulders, high collars, decorative buttons and rows of braided cord known as frogging.

Along the way, those military details found a considerably less disciplined audience.

Jimi Hendrix made flamboyant military jackets part of his psychedelic rockstar wardrobe in the 1960s. Decades later, Kate Moss brought the look into the noughties, pairing embellished jackets with denim shorts, boots and the sort of festival styling that practically defined an era.

Then came Balmain.

Under Christophe Decarnin, the house's Spring/Summer 2009 collection turned military detailing into a high-fashion obsession, complete with exaggerated shoulders and crystal-studded embellishments.

Suddenly, everyone wanted to dress like the lead singer of a very fashionable band.

THE RUNWAY HAS GIVEN ITS ORDERS

The Napoleon jacket is back on the runway, although designers aren't particularly interested in following the original dress code.

At Alexander McQueen, military-inspired tailoring arrived with sculpted shoulders, intricate detailing and the house's signature theatricality. Dior, Ralph Lauren and Chloé have also revisited the silhouette, each bringing a different interpretation to its traditionally rigid structure.

Some softened the tailoring. Others embraced the embellishments. And a few seemed perfectly happy to turn the drama all the way up.

It's an interesting shift for fashion, particularly after years of celebrating clothes that look effortless.

The Napoleon jacket isn't exactly effortless. That's part of the appeal.

MILITARY PRECISION, PERSONAL INTERPRETATION

It didn't take long for the jacket to find its way off the runway.

Daisy Edgar-Jones made a case for wearing hers with stovepipe jeans and white mules. Margot Robbie took a sharper approach with black-and-gold military tailoring, while Jenna Ortega gave the silhouette a rebellious update. Dua Lipa, meanwhile, went for red with denim shorts and boots.

Four very different wardrobes. One rather dramatic common denominator.

And that's what makes this comeback interesting. Despite its military origins, the Napoleon jacket is being worn with very little regard for rules.

The trick is contrast. Relaxed denim takes the formality out of elaborate braiding, tailored trousers give it a polished edge, and a mini skirt brings back some of that noughties rockstar attitude.

Cropped silhouettes, velvet finishes and more understated interpretations are also making the trend easier to work into everyday wardrobes. From designer statements to accessible high-street versions, there's more than one way to wear it.

The only real styling advice? Let the jacket do the talking.

WHY THIS JACKET, AND WHY NOW?

Military uniforms were once symbols of rank, discipline and authority. Fashion, however, has a history of borrowing those same details and giving them an entirely different meaning.

The Napoleon jacket's return feels particularly interesting at a time when fashion is moving away from understated dressing and embracing stronger, more expressive silhouettes.

Perhaps it's nostalgia. Perhaps it's our fascination with power and the way we dress to communicate it.

Or maybe, after years of playing it safe, fashion is simply ready for a little drama again.