Tommy Hilfiger was looking for a slice of Americana that ended with an Israeli-born model on the small screen. But here’s what happened in between:

Hilfiger collaborated with George Lois to put together the images, events, people and places that helped define the United States in their photography book “Iconic America: A Roller-Coaster Ride Through Eye-Popping Panorama of American Pop Culture.” They included people and things like Ernest Hemingway, Lean Cuisine, Route 66 and Deep Throat.

Now Hilfiger is bringing the book to life on the small screen, producing a one-hour television special. The show will feature Israeli-born model Bar Rafaeli and Rives - a poet from HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam” - across the country to tour the best of American beauty, fashion, design and food.

So far the two have filmed episodes at Relish Diner in Williamsburg, N.Y., and at the South Orange, N.J., which featured a student prepping for prom with her friends. Other filming locations included Kansas’ Barbie Museum and Boston’s Candy Heart Necco factory. The show will air on Bravo this fall.

*alexis