American Classics: Jewels In Red, White, and Blue

By Brittany Siminitz | June 28, 2023

Next week marks the Fourth of July holiday, and with it comes plenty of fanfare featuring America’s colors—red, white, and blue.

People wear the color scheme (along with stars and stripes) in the spirit of Independence Day, but there’s a broader trend that would make the purchase of goods featuring this color trifecta endure beyond the holiday: a sort of American nostalgia.

It aligns with what some in the fashion world have dubbed “heritage luxury”—brands are returning to their roots, going back to the basics that got them where they are. Burberry (not an American brand, obviously), for instance, is ditching the novelty spins on its popular items and paring down to minimalist classics—what it’s known for. Maybe it’s a quiet luxury thing, maybe we all just need a break from the noise, but Burberry certainly isn’t the only example, just a really good one.

And so we have this desire to seek out brands with heritage, with history, with a stability that helps us feel like we’re making a great purchase. There’s a reason American brands like Ralph Lauren, L.L. Bean, and Levi’s end up killing it in the vintage markets—they last. Younger generations are all about buying these iconic pieces secondhand, signaling a reawakening of classic American dressing (often with a current, individualized touch).

So might that red, white, and blue colorway get a bump in popularity? It seems likely given heritage brands’ affinity for the flag, but Americana never truly goes out of style. And these jewels below aren’t solely relevant come Fourth of July. Like Coca-Cola and red lipstick, they’re classics.