It's all well and good to buy a T-shirt emblazoned with an iconic image from the annals of rock 'n' roll — plenty of street-wear brands offer them.

But when you pick up a rock tee from luxe T-shirt brand Archive 1887, you're also buying a little history lesson. Each shirt comes with a code that, when entered, takes you to a streaming playlist of the artist's music, as well as historical background on the image, including who snapped it and where and when it was taken. 

And there's much to be learned. Archive 1887's catalog of images features some of music's greatest photos — culled from an archived database within Sony Music — of venerable artists, including David Bowie, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Sly Stone and Miles Davis. Legendary rock photographers represented in the collection include Mick Rock and Jim Marshall.

And the actual shirts, which are super-soft and thin, make the overall effect of the tees feel even more vintage — as opposed to screening a retro image onto a stiff, blatantly brand-new tee, which always looks so wrong.

Prices for the T-shirts range from $52 to $84.

--Emili Vesilind

Photo: An Archive 1887 David Bowie T-shirt. Credit: Archive 1887

Debbie Harry. David Bowie. Freddie Mercury. Photographer Mick Rock captured these and other rock legends in indelible images throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.

Now the British lens man has mounted a show of some of his most memorable photos at what would seem to be an unlikely venue — Los Feliz's Confederacy fashion boutique. On the other hand, local boutiques have been combining fashion and commerce with art throughout the year, as the Image section reported in August.

We caught up with Rock while he was in town to discuss the show, as well as why the public's fascination with rock's most glammed-out era just won't quit.

All the Rage: You have a new book out, "Mick Rock: Exposed," that precipitated this photo exhibition — what does it cover?

Mick Rock: It really dates from the beginning, from 1969 with Syd Barrett right up to today to Lady Gaga and the Gossip. It runs the gamut. I've done lots of books, but they’ve always been on specific subjects like David Bowie or "Rocky Horror Picture Show." But I have a broader array of tricks.

You're a pretty major guy. Why did you decide to mount a show in a clothing boutique?

I had talked to some galleries. But it struck me — [Confederacy] had Francis Bacon and Francesco Clemente shows. They’re a bit like a Japanese setup. Most of the time art shows are usually done in stores there. Having seen it and seen the space, and seeing that they are serious people, I decided to do it. People said, "You’ll have more fun with these guys." Fun was an important factor.

Do you like doing public appearances?

I don’t mind. I’ve been in this business since college and saw so many friends of mine in the early days — Bryan Ferry, Debbie Harry, David Bowie ... I saw what they had to do as part of their job, to promote. And I'm probably not by nature a shrinking violet.

Do you have favorite images or subjects you've shot?

It’s a bit like who’s your favorite lady friend, isn't it? It was always "whoever I was with yesterday." I love shooting Snoop Dogg. I shot him last year. He’s a hoot. But people want to know about the '70s stuff. David Bowie and Debbie Harry were probably as fine a photo subjects that you’ll ever find under any circumstances. I was very lucky.

Why do you think we're all so obsessed with the look and feel of '70s rock 'n' roll?

It doesn’t go away — I think that's part of it. And rock 'n' roll is no longer as fabulous as it was. It’s not like a rebel outside art form anymore. It's been subsumed by the culture and the ad man. Also I think because when all these characters first showed up in the '70s, the media was so much less. There was time for more mystique to build around these characters. Now [news] is on a couple of million websites in no time at all. But I don’t have any issues with how things are now, I’m happy. I was younger and wilder and more out of control back then. But I’m having a great time nowadays. And people have a lot more respect for photographers.

"Mick Rock: Exposed" will be on view through March 1 at Confederacy, 4661 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 913-3040.

-- Emili Vesilind 

Photo: An early portrait of Madonna. Credit: Mick Rock

With "Crazy Heart" taking home two Academy Awards earlier this year, and Gwyneth Paltrow set to open in "Country Strong" -- a country and western movie in which she stars and sings -- it's clear that there's a growing appetite for all things country (and don't even get me started on FarmVille.)

So it will be interesting to watch how much cash buyers fork over for some of the personal effects of the late country music legend Johnny Cash, which go up for bid on Sunday at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills.

The items in the auction span the singer-songwriter's lengthy career and include hand-penned lyrics (such as an alternate version of "Don't Take Your Guns to Town"), notes and letters from celebrity friends (Bruce Springsteen and Kirk Douglas among them) and three of his well-loved, oft-played guitars.

Long known as the Man in Black because of his penchant for wearing solid black on stage, it's the pieces from Cash's wardrobe that are among the most interesting: among them his Air Force uniform, two of his trademark black suits and a stage outfit designed for him by famed rodeo tailor Nudie Cohn in the mid-'70s that includes black trousers and a black western shirt with red and blue appliqued stars spangled across the yolk and collar.

As a life-long Johnny Cash fan (he was my first concert experience -- at the Washington County Fairgrounds in upstate New York at the tender age of 7), my favorite outfit up for auction has to be the blue jumpsuit Cash wore during the rehearsal performance for his live at San Quentin album at the California prison in February 1969.

It's not because the blue denim jumpsuit, with brass zipper accents at the shoulders, pant legs and breast pockets is particularly fashionable, but because, according to Julien's Auctions, it's what Cash was wearing when rock photographer Jim Marshall captured him in full rebel mode -- arm fully extended toward the camera, defiantly flipping the world the bird.

That famous black-and-white photograph did much to cement the pop culture legacies of both men, which makes the jumpsuit (starting bid $1,500) that much more of a draw.

And even if you're not interested in owning a piece of the Johnny Cash legacy but still want to see some of it up close, a free public exhibition culled from the collection continues through Thursday at Julien's Auctions, 9665 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 150, Beverly Hills (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Bidding for the actual auction (which starts at 10 a.m. PST on Sunday) can be done either online or in person, additional details available online at the website.

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: Wardrobe pieces up for auction include (from left) a custom-made Nudie suit, a custom ensemble that includes a turquoise shirt made by Anto of Beverly Hills and black trousers, one of Cash's signature black suits and the jumpsuit Cash was wearing during rehearsals for his San Quentin concert. Credit: Julien's Auctions

At 4 years old, Hanna Rochelle-Schmieder, designer for L.A. sportswear brand Lyric Culture, memorized the lyrics to almost every Beatles song.

Twenty-nine years later, she's parlaying her love of the Fab Four — and particularly John Lennon — into a new capsule collection — sanctioned by Yoko Ono herself. 

The 3-year-old brand, which incorporates famous song lyrics into its designs from the likes of Joan Jett, Aerosmith and Bob Dylan, will be releasing a John Lennon-themed clothing and accessories collection in early October exclusively at Bloomingdale's — to coincide with EMI Records' release of the remastered John Lennon "Double Fantasy" album (which turns 30 this year).

Lyric's Lennon collection, which was personally approved by Ono before going into production, includes six men's screen-printed tees, four men's scarves, two cufflinks, two men's necklaces and two men's bracelets. For women, there are two fashion tees and a scarf (though more women's items will likely be added, said Rochelle-Schmieder). Prices range from $45 to $75.

The T-shirt designs pair old photos of Lennon with his lyrics. On one shirt, we see the music legend playing piano, the lyrics for "Imagine" streaming above him ("You might say that I'm a dreamer / But I'm not the only one"); another is emblazoned with a famous photo of Lennon in sunglasses and a leather jacket, serving as a backdrop for the printed words, "A working class hero is something to be."

Rochelle-Schmieder, who was a singer and a songwriter before launching the collection (she's the daughter of classical conductor Eduard Schmieder), owns the licensing rights for many major music publishing companies — giving musicians an additional source of revenue — but says Lennon's music was previously unavailable to her, as it's separate from the Beatles catalog.

"I was always dying to do something with John Lennon's music," said the 33-year-old, who was inspired to start her fashion collection after jotting down some of her own lyrics on a pair of jeans. "I'm such a huge Beatles fan. We got in touch with Yoko's lawyer and she saw the designs and fell in love with them."

--Emili Vesilind

Photos: Shirts from the Lyric Culture John Lennon collection. Credit: Lyric Culture.

[Update: Photo of shirts from the collection replaced illustrations.