Few embody vintage American elegance like Ralph Lauren. Born in 1939, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Ralph Lifshitz never attended fashion school. In 1960, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and at Fort Dix served two years as a supply clerk. The precise and timeless quality of uniforms inspired his appreciation for clothing with a purpose and a history. Retooling the classics for a present-day lifestyle, Lauren packaged the American dream of freedom and upward mobility in tennis whites, polo shirts, evening clothes worthy of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, cable-knit ski sweaters adorned with the Stars and Stripes. “There’s no movie to this. This is not a fake thing,” Lauren once said. “It’s not a brand. It’s my life.” A new documentary pays tribute to the designer ahead of the country’s semiquincentennial, examining his collection of 13 United States Postal service stamps emblazoned with horses, baseball mitts, and of course, the American flag. —Maggie Turner