Vote for the best dressed in red, white, and blue

By Dana Allen-Greil

Take a look around you on Independence Day and you’ll probably find throngs of patriotic Americans bedecked in the stars and stripes. The flag, long a symbol of both pride and protest, provides present-day design inspiration for everything from T-shirts to neckties, hats, and hair ribbons.

The American flag was the inspiration behind many of the outfits worn by people who entered the museum’s Star-Spangled Banner singing contest earlier this year. The contest is over now and our grand prize winner gave a breathtaking performance on Flag Day. But I propose a new mini-contest—one in which the only prize is bragging rights. Who do you think—out of the 15 video entries below—is most fashionably red, white, and blue?

Will it be Johnny Lanza’s Uncle Sam hat? 4 year old Isabelle’s pigtails? Or maybe 70-year old Judie’s star-spangled tanktop? You decide!

Can't see the video playlist above?  View it on YouTube.

Dana Allen-Greil is the new media project manager at the National Museum of American History.

Update: Voting is now closed.  See this blog post to find out who won.