Cheryl Shops

While I am a fairly proud American (okay, maybe I say I'm a New Yorker when asked if I'm American when traveling abroad), I've never been one to wear the American flag as clothing, even though there have been some fashionable renditions over the years. I suppose I prefer to show my patriotism in other ways, such as by voting. However, this year I might start waving the flag for all-American fashion with these Stars & Stripes El-Carmen shoes from Jeffrey Campbell. I'm not going to mince words: They're incredibly campy. They look like something a superhero, or perhaps a patriotic stripper named Georgia Washington would wear. And yet, they have a sense of humor; they seem to take joy in the stars and stripes, which is refreshing, after so many self-serious "These colors don't run" T-shirts and politician-friendly lapel pins. The style is an update of Campbell's best-selling El-Carmen, with a formidable 2-inch platform and sexy ankle strap; if you're going to embrace the American flag as fashion, why not do it chicly?