There’s no denying the fresh, classic and unapologetically all American appeal of red, white, & blue. Even though admittedly, with July 4th looming in the near future, it may seem obvious and clichéd — if not a bit corny. But. like anything else, when something is done particularly well it always looks good and never loses its appeal (as the following examples perfectly illustrate). And besides, what’s so bad about a little ‘corn’ every now and then?
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| Victoria Beckham resort 2016 |
As soon as I saw the model wearing that perfect slouchy red cashmere v neck sweater tucked into hip slung dark denim roll cuff jeans, accessorized with the sturdy yet feminine white pointy toed sling backs, (on the runway of Victoria Beckham’s recent resort 2016 presentation), I immediately thought, “what a chic way to look on July 4th! Her fresh take on a classic standby was simple, straight forward and easy to duplicate by simply taking distinctive wardrobe basics you already own (in red, white, and blue), and moving them around (the combinations are almost endless).
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| Derek Lam resort 2016 |
Derek Lam is a designer known for his love of eased up and luxurious American sportswear. While I wouldn’t say red, white & blue was a recurring theme within his resort 2016 collection, (which was inspired by the off court style and the long athletic limbs of basketball players; notably those of Kareem Abdul-Jabbal’s), one red and white oversized gingham check puffer jacket shown over matching drawstring shorts and a navy cropped top, looked darn good.
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| Moncler Gamme Bleu |
Thom Browne has long been an advocate of great American (and British) sportswear, though his aesthetic can best be described as subverted preppy (or preppy with a twist). He loves to take what is basic and classic and make it “unbasic” and “unclassic”. His menswear 2016 spring collection for Moncler Gamme Bleu, which was just shown in Milan, was inspired by rowing team uniforms (‘think’ Oxford vs. Cambridge). Broken into 4 color groups, the one in red, white, & blue was a standout.
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| Tom Browne resort 2016 collection |
His eponymous resort 2016 collection for women (shown here in New York), was filled with his signature finely tailored jackets and coats, button down oxford shirts, rubberized tweeds, pleated skirts, ribbon trims, polo shirts, and scarf prints, (and accessorized with his handsome handbags and spiffy bi color brogues and boots). While it began with a group of pastels, it also included quite a bit of navy, white, and red. This combination came by way of tartan plaids, button down shirtdresses, and a group of white waffle knits edged in wide stripes of red and navy.
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| Saint James Naval 11 striped breton top |
And speaking of stripes, it goes without saying that they are not only patriotic in an obvious way, but always right on point and a perennial favorite. The iconic Breton striped t shirt is a beloved wardrobe work horse, and you can’t get more authentic than the Saint James Naval ll unisex boat neck top (saint-james.com, $135). Saint James recently collaborated with J.Crew, for their good looking wool Nauplie sweater, available in ivory with navy, or red with navy stripes, $299.00, jcrew.com. J. Crew’s ¾ sleeve sailor stripe tee with beaded side detail, $59.50, is another good choice.
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| Baja Vintage t-shirt |
Along those same lines, if you click on to zady.com, you will find Le Mont St. Michel’s classic red and white striped sailor stripe top, $95, as well as Jungmaven’s Baja Vintage t shirt, $96. Pre-shrunk, made of soft, durable hemp, and complimented with red and blue stripes using 100% natural dyes, it is directly inspired by The Declaration of Independence, which was written on hemp (it is sized for men XS- L). Also worth noting is A.L.C’s Robinson cut out neckline sweater in navy and white stripes, ($325, intermix.com), and Saint Laurent’s navy and red striped cotton long sleeved top, $650, netaporter.com.
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| Ashish blue white striped embellished long sleeved breton |
If you want something a bit more unusual (and dressed up), check out Ashish Gupta’s hand embellished striped silk georgette tops that are interesting riffs on the classic cotton Breton striped pullover. The short sleeved red and white sequined ‘t- shirt’ is edged in gold sequins, clear beads, and faux pearls, and the navy and white striped sequined top has long sleeves (both are $1775 from netaporter.com). I love them downplayed with jeans (white, dark wash, deconstructed), but you can also pair them with Ashish’s navy all over sequined cotton shorts ($1270). They don’t call him ‘The King of Sequins’ for nothing!
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| American flag scarf |
And if you really want to show your stripes (and stars), how about adding an American flag scarf? Needless to say, they abound, but a few good choices are Gap’s oversized lightweight star printed navy and white scarf, (currently on sale for $23.96, gap.com), and the Rustic American Flag Scarf, ($25, scarves.com).
