Of Material Interest: The Navy Issue Deck Jacket.

There's the pea coat and then there's the oft replicated, iconic Navy issue deck jacket, introduced in the late 40's and refined over the following years to include the storm flap and metal 'lobster clip' for easier closure and resistance to corrosion from the elements that the exposed zipper was prone to. Constructed from a densely woven 13 oz. gros grain deemed 'jungle cloth' or cotton 'bedford' cord and wind-proofed with a layer of organdy between the jungle cloth and wool lining.

Head to Toe: The Warm-Up.

An unseasonably warm day in the forecast. So lighten up.

Erased de Kooning Drawing, 1953.

Incoming: The Apolis Indigo Wool Chore Jacket.

From the start, Apolis has been a serious favorite here at Secret Forts and over the past few years, I've had the pleasure to come to know the Parton brothers and consider them among the most righteous of dudes. I started crushing on this indigo dyed chore jacket back in March '10 when I had the pleasure of working with Shea when he blew into town for a few days. Recently, I returned home from a trip out west to this beauty awaiting me.

At Work: Francis Bacon, 1966.

Interviewed by David Sylvester, 1966.

At Work: Lucien Freud, British Figurative Painter.

Lightweights.

Cagoule, anorak, parka, simply a hooded jacket. Call it what you will, but it's a favorite here at Secret Forts. While in the grips of an already seemingly interminable winter, it might be a good time to let your mind wander a bit. Towards Spring. Crisp mornings, cool evenings. April showers. And not a single mountain of dirty snow anywhere. You'll still need a jacket however, just not the down filled, blanket lined sleeping bag you've been trudging around in. Here, some new stand outs and some old perennial favorites.

R.I.P.

Anarchitect: Gordon Matta-Clark, 1943-1978.

Of Material Interest: The US Army Tanker Jacket.

AKA 'Jacket, Combat, Winter'. Introduced in '41 and worn by soldiers throughout the Second World War, From Generals Eisenhower and Patton to PFC. Tank commanders to grunts. From Bastogne to San Pietro. Bill Mauldin's 'Stars and Stripes' cartoon GI protagonists Willie and Joe wore them. And Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle. Knit ribbed funnel collar, cuffs and waist. 12 oz. cotton twill Olive drab. Early 1942 jackets with patch pockets, later designed with slash pockets. Wool blanket-lining. Total classic.

Pictures of Pictures: Kippenberger's Hotel Drawings.

Martin Kippenberger, German artist. Born 1953. Died 1997. Made hundreds of what have come to be known as his 'Hotel Drawings' on whatever stationary and drawing implements were at hand.