Five things we learned today

- John Galliano has been appointed a chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. Well, there's one thing he has in common with Giorgio Armani.
- L.A.'s Corpus won the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award for menswear.
- PTLD ME posted Rogues Gallery's spring collection. Fans of yachting caps, fear not: Nautical looks abound.
- Burton's Playmate-emblazoned Love snowboards have inspired protests in the brand's native Vermont.
- And Steve Jobs has a hormone imbalance, which is why he's skipping Macworld. (Get well soon, Steve.)

A new year, a new set of designer collaborations. The latest iteration of footwear from France's Pierre Hardy and the Franco-Japanese Kitsuné is now available at Colette, which carried the brands' codesigned desert boot last year. For that previous attempt, it seemed as if Kitsuné (and its minimal aesthetic) took the lead; now, perhaps, it's Pierre Hardy's turn. (Hardy has never been afraid of wild colors.) The new pair's shape is both handsome and classic, but the bright blue leather requires a provocateur's daring—in other words, I can't think of a better home for them than Colette. (Only the unretiring Miss Colette herself, Sarah Lerfel, could deem the descriptor "Smurf shoes" a compliment.) Those bold enough to buck the present moment's back-to-basics trend should enjoy them; as for me, I enjoy them at a comfortable distance (i.e., a few feet from my feet). But then, I'm not in the habit of taking fashion tips from a blog called "Think Silly."
Pierre Hardy x Kitsuné shoes, $429.85, available at colette.fr

[via blog.think-silly.com/colette]

The highlight of Johnny Cash's famous At Folsom Prison album is, of course, the rip-roaring performance of "Folsom Prison Blues," complemented by the knowing whoops from the audience. But the singer's iconic look was in full bloom, too. He was 35 when he recorded the album, and so had lived long enough (and hard enough) to look as beaten down as his trademark all-black ensemble would suggest. This was already evident in Columbia Records' official photos from the show, but additional proof has arrived in a handful of newly surfaced images. They were discovered by a newspaper reporter who accompanied Cash to the concert, along with photographer Dan Poush. The record label originally forbade Poush to take pictures, but the singer overruled Columbia, saying simply "These are my friends." The photos had been buried ever since, and provide additional confirmation (as if any were needed) that the Man in Black was eternally cool. Read the full story here; check out a slideshow here.

[via Newser]

An almost-daily stop on my blog rounds is photographer Todd Selby's The Selby, a chronicle of the interiors of the creative class, from Swaim and Christina Hutson of Obedient Sons to the power-agents of L.A.'s Endeavor. (I'm inclined to give the guy a pass for his occasional forays into the dens of irritating, parent-sponsored socials like Peaches Geldof, because variety is, after all, the spice of life—and resentment, not a bad digestif.) The site functions like a cross between Dazed + Confused and Architectural Digest: Its subjects are demimondaine, but its eye is for design. You can spend hours—full disclosure: I have—perusing Tom Wolfe's knickknacks, Scott Campbell's studio equipment, Erin Wasson's bed. Enjoy it, gents—it's probably the closest you're going to get (that last one in particular).

But because The Selby is a voyeur's paradise, it's easy to feel left out; making it onto the site yourself is no easy feat. (Selby gamely provides his contact info if you'd like to try, but without an agreeably ersatz collection of bric-a-brac, you're going to have a hard time competing.) Which is why the new online shop is a sweet kind of consolation—if you can't get into the world of the site, you can at least bring the site to you. I'll pass on an 11 x 14" print of the short-shorts-clad Cobrasnake (he, his grandfather, and his grandmother have been subjects), and I'm shy of the $1,100 for a larger-scale custom print of any photo on the site. But well within my budget is Selby's limited-edition bandanna, cheerily sunshine-yellow and covered in an unexpected earthworm motif. I daresay it would make a fine pocket-square or headpiece for one of the photographer's more daring subjects, but I rather like it as a design accent, wrapped around a vase or lamp or crawling over a dresser. Keep an eye out for it when you're browsing Selby's (I hope!) eventual coverage of my own humble digs.
$35, available at store.theselby.com

For complicated reasons, I'm currently living without cable. But apparently, my timing couldn't be better: This week, PBS is showing two documentaries targeted at fans of soul music and design—in other words, me (and, I suspect, many of you). Up first is Sweet Soul Music, a documentary of Stax/Volt's 1967 European tour. In essence, the legendary Memphis label sent its biggest stars (Sam and Dave, Booker T. and the MGs, Otis Redding) to play live for a bunch of white Norwegian teenagers. The results? Consistently exhilarating—it's amazing to see what kind of dance moves the soulsters could pull off while singing live and wearing natty suits. The highlight is Redding's drawn-out version of "Try a Little Tenderness," wherein he leaves the stage and returns four times in under six minutes. (It's called showmanship, kids.) The bill also included the underrated Arthur Conley, who performs the film's title track in the clip below. (Want more? Check out Peter Guralnick's book, also called Sweet Soul Music, which chronicles Stax/Volt's rise and fall, as well as the careers of James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and, most colorfully, Solomon Burke.)

As if that's not enough, PBS is also showing the doc Helvetica later this week. As we told you when it first came out, it's probably the best film about fonts you're likely to see. (And no, that's not a backhanded compliment.) It's worth revisiting not only because it tells a compelling story about a potentially dry topic but also because its director, Gary Hustwit, has a new film in the works. It's called Objectified, and it's about the importance (and ubiquity) of industrial design. It includes interviews with legendary Braun designer Dieter Rams, the guys behind the Flip camcorder, and the reclusive (but influential) Jonathan Ive. This morning, the trailer premiered exclusively on Gizmodo; the film is premiering in March '09 (around the same time as South by Southwest, though nothing appears to be official). I'll be keeping my eye out, iPod in hand. (And hopefully, I'll have cable by then.)

Sweet Soul Music, 8 p.m. EST on PBS; Helvetica, airing Saturday on PBS; Objectified, objectifiedfilm.com

Five things worth knowing today

- It's the 12th—and last—day of Christmas; if you're still working on those leftovers, now's probably the time to call it quits.
- The latest season of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations premieres tonight, taking your culinary adventurer to Mexico. Mexican vermin and other generally-considered-inedibles, expect to get eaten about now.
- John Turturro speaks on a career with Spike, the Coens, and (apparently) Monk, tonight at New York's 92nd Street Y.
- Today in 1933, construction began on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
- And today in 1978, Mad Man missus January Jones (whose name just got a little bit clearer) was born. Below, the gun-toting Mrs. Draper proves that Hell hath no fury like a housewife scorned: