Standard bother about beach outing; naked best? (5,3,7)

I believe the answer is:

stars and stripes

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'standard' is the definition.
(the US flag - standard can mean a flag)

'bother about beach outing naked best?' is the wordplay.
'bother about' becomes 'star' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'beach' becomes 'sands' (sands can mean a beach area).
'outing' becomes 'trip' (I've seen this before).
'naked' indicates the central letters (outside letters removed so centre is unclothed).
The middle of 'best' is 'es'.
'star'+'sands'+'trip'+'es'='STARS AND STRIPES'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for stars and stripes that I've seen before include "indications of rank" , "indicators of military rank" , "The US flag" , "Standard" , "American flier" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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