Some Instagram posts feature a particular type of workout shirt—a tank top that was formerly a t-shirt. Typically, the wearer has built considerable muscle mass, which contrasts with the open shirt fabric.
Re-purposing an old t-shirt in this way is eco-friendly as it helps to reduce textile waste.
IFBB Pro (Classic Physique) Laszlo Kiraly.Blake Mouyassar by Michael A. Downs
Eco-Friendly, Popular Gym Shirt
These shirts are an example of repurposing old clothes, which helps to reduce textile waste.
This workout shirt is also popular. There are many searches for this gym shirt on Internet search engines. It makes sense as the workout shirt is budget-friendly and relatively easy to create. On Pinterest, this shirt style has a search peak through warmer weather months.
I was looking for some new gym shorts. In my search, I noticed a selection of shorts that had a length of three to five inches. I had known that some gym trainers liked short shorts for the flexibility of movement for leg day. The style was popular in the 1980s, so the fashion trend is a blast from the past.
swim-based shorts (that can be worn in a pool or other water and at a resort or other places).
(Many brands have shorts with lengths from 3 to 6 inches, so there is room to accommodate all heights. Read an article at Esquire Magazine for how different shorts lengths look on guys from tall to short.)
Media Coverage: Are Short Shorts in Style for Guys?
Five-Inch Inseam Shorts
On TikTok, there are posts encouraging guys to ditch long-length shorts in favor of 5-inch inseam shorts (aka short shorts). (See an article by Esquire Magazine.)
In 2021, in the New York Post, there was an article about actor Milo Ventimiglia wearing runner’s shorts to the gym.
Andres Gaspar by Adrian C. Martin. Beach shorts, Bang! Clothes, Miami, Fla.
Fraser Wilson, a personal trainer from Melbourne, Australia, is sponsored by GymShark.
In the YouTube video at the right, Fraser performs a follow-along mobility workout while wearing five-inch inseam shorts.
Are Men’s Shorts Getting Shorter?
The Guardian newspaper had an article about men’s interest in short shorts (the way shorts were in the 1970s and 1980s) (author Priya Elan). Men’s shorts became longer in the 1990s and early 2000s. The theme of the story was the connection of menswear, sensuality, and affordable style.
There is some tension as the inseam gets to 5 inches and lower. (See discussion below.) See also the table.
In the bodybuilding (and physique) world, I think that there is a desire to show the results of leg day training as well as practicality—better movement in the gym. With athleisure clothing, this gym wear is also worn in casual wear.
An article in the New Idea, a publication for Australian women, also supports short shorts and provides practical tips (author Rhys McKay).
Some parts of Australian fashion embraced short shorts (for example, brands (2Eros (Zyzz (the late Aziz Sergeyevich Shavershian (1989-2011)) shorts, also known as the S01 Icon Shorts (mentioned in a previous blog article) and fitness trainer and YouTuber Daniel Vadnal) as well as sports (the Australian Football League (AFL) and Australian rugby).
Model: Jakob Bergen. Shorts, Inaka Power. [Five-inch inseam workout shorts.]
When Are Shorts Too Short for Guys?
For shorter shorts, there may be some negative feedback received from the guy showing too much leg. Rick for The Running Channel on YouTube investigated this question with two-inch inseam side-split running shorts.
The Guardian‘s Priya Elan wrote an article asking how low can men’s short short’s go. There is a split opinion on where short shorts should be worn.
Teo van den Broeke, British GQ’s styling and grooming director, agreed: “We’re more au fait with wearing sport shorts right now, given how much exercising we’ve all been doing, we feel more comfortable going a little short.”
Others think micro is not the way to go. “In most urban contexts, it would be more acceptable for men to wear knee-grazing shorts,” said Elizabeth Wyse, at the etiquette experts Debrett’s.
Bang Clothing brand offers show shorts that have a three-inch inseam.
As discussed above with the Guardian article, the shorts force a connection between men’s fashion and sensuality. However, bodybuilders and AFL athletes has embraced the fashion trend enthusiastically.
A YouTuber and male model, Brandon Pikulinski, was having this debate in his video log. He’s a tall guy, 6’3″ or 1.91 meters. Brandon is a jogger, wore short shorts and leggings on a hot day to go for a jog (at about 30 second-mark in the video).
Later, for a swim, he tried on short swim trunks with a four-inch inseam and felt the shorts were too short (at about the 6:52 mark in the video). His girlfriend liked them.
If you decide to embrace short shorts, be confident and go for it. Maybe another guy is debating the same question internally. If more guys embrace it (as in the 1970s), it will encourage other guys to support it.
Agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments.
I think Rick’s discomfort with the length contributed to the negative feedback (wanting to “please” him).
London, UK, based fashion and fitness blogger Ollie Pearce did a YouTube video on short shorts. While the shorts that Ollie showed on his video was a form of board shorts, he did discuss how shorter length shorts can help taller guys as well as guys who love leg days at the gym.
Models
David Cihacek by Photographer Marc Spielberg
Model David Cihacek, from the Czech Republic, wears Adidas shorts in a photo shoot by Photographer Marc Spielberg.
David Cihacek by Marc Spielberg in Germany
Conclusion
I have presented a selection of short shorts that are available. Whether you are looking for something to wear at the beach or pool, at the gym, or running errands around town, there is an option available to you.
Are you interested in short shorts? Please tell us of your interest and brand that you like in the comments. If there is a dream vacation spot or resort that you would like to visit post-Covid, please also write it in the comment area.
I was interested in finding out more about Luis, and I found out through a web search that Luis is a YouTuber. His first video was a podcast that he filmed with his friend Nano Azpurua. I found the story about his background interesting, as I am a first generation U.S. citizen and have family from South America.
It is a treat to hear the model that you see in photos speaking. In the podcast, Luis and Nano touch on many topics. I recommend watching the video. I have picked out some information for the introduction to this blog post.
Biographical Information
Luis’ birthdate is September 4 (Virgo).
Luis was born in the United States; his parents are from Venezuela in South America.
Luis’ height is 5 feet, 10 inches (1.78 meters). Luis mentioned in the podcast that he went to a model open call (where scouts look for models). The scouts told him that he was too short. (Usually models are 6 feet or above in height.)
Other Information from Luis’ Podcast
When Luis started a TikTok account and began to get a lot of views, Luis then attracted interest.
Luis prefers not to live the full-time job life. Luis has worked several jobs since he was 16. In the podcast, Luis mentions that he attended online college courses. He did not mention a course of study.
Luis commented briefly on his workout goals. He stated that he will talk about the subject more in another video.
At the time of this blog post, Luis and Nano were looking for a name for their podcast and podcast ideas. You can enter suggestions at Luis YouTube video.
The year 2020 was eventful with a pandemic as well as several painful events involving fatal citizen encounters with law enforcement officers. One notable case was the one involving George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ample witness videos ultimately became a macabre film of 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
The aftermath of this event spread worldwide. Luis attended one of the protests.
As mentioned earlier in the post, Luis had a photo shoot with Photographer Lester Villarama in Los Angeles, California. (Grooming was by Keon Cruz.) One session was featured in Maximo Magazine.
There was another photo shoot that was done in black and white. While color photos dominate, I still find black and white photos intriguing.
Stevan Reyes
Luis also had a photo session with Photographer Stevan Reyes in Florida. Photographer Reyes also had a photo session with Kyle Hynick.
Conclusion
Luis has attracted a huge follower base for his TikTok content and has been making the best of a challenging 2020. I wish him best as he pursues his career path outside of the salaried 9-to-5 life. (Model Dominic Calvani has a similar opinion.)
It is interesting to hear the perspective of a first-generation U.S. citizen, as it is the same experience as mine, with family from South America (former British colonies), which is also a similar experience as mine.
I look forward to seeing more photos and social media content from Luis.
If you have any favorite photos or social media content that you have seen of Luis, please leave a comment or send me an email.
Some male models that wear menswear items have interesting lives in addition to muscular physiques. Diego Sechi, a WBFF pro male fitness model from Italy is an example. Diego has a strong brain as well as a fit body. Diego lives in London, UK.
Diego became a citizen of the UK in December 2021.
According to Diego’s Instagram, he is an online fitness coach and registered nutritionist. In addition to his gym training, Diego has a bachelor’s degree, human nutrition, from King’s College London. Diego holds MSc sports nutrition degree from St. Mary’s University, Twickenham.
Later, I learned that he also enjoys choreography. The choreography assists Diego in creating posing routines with a nice flow.
Do you want to be a fitness model like Diego? Check out his advice in his book.
Diego provides his background on his website. There is also a video that provides background information on Fit Media Channel on YouTube.
In August 2020, Diego posted a video answering questions from his subscribers, followers, and fans.
Diego returned to YouTube on April 10, 2020.
In November 2021, Diego had a podcast interview with Renars Latkovskis. The 2 and one-half hours interview covered topics from Diego’s background, his view on various topics, and his fitness career (as a coach and as a physique competitor).
Diego did a challenge-type workout for the “Workout until Failure” YouTube channel. The purpose of the YouTube channel is to show physique athletes challenging themselves with exercise in a heated room. The athletes on the channel are well-trained fitness models.
While the workouts would be challenging and exhausting to typical people, the featured athletes seem to be challenged but the viewer can tell that their bodies were hungry for the exercise and welcomed the challenge.
Diego did not disappoint in his video. Even with the challenging pandemic times during 2020, Diego maintained his pro-level muscular physique. Diego started with his morning cardio (featured on his Instagram) and then after that did a circuit style workout–three rounds of squats, lateral raises, and biceps curls, all with a set of dumbbells. Diego ended with planks for the abdominals.
Even with this hard workout, Diego seemed to be able to workout more.
According to the Greatest Physiques blog, Diego participated in Greco-Roman wrestling as a child. According to his website, he participated in other sports as well.
Sport has been with me since my childhood, especially thanks to my natural physical form, already in charge of sports. So, I had the opportunity to explore various sports: fencing, boxing, horseback,riding, hockey, skiing, athletics. Especially in the latter, I attracted the attention during the youth school championship of 100-meters without hurdles, where I recorded a time of 11:04 seconds!
The video below was filmed before Diego’s 2019 WBFF Pro competition in the Bahamas.
Diego on Fit Media Channel
Diego’s Stretching Routine by Fit Media Channel
Diego demonstrated his stretching routine for Fit Media Channel on YouTube while in the Bahamas for his WBFF contest.
Diego Demonstrates Best Muscle Building Exercises
Also on Fit Media Channel, Diego demonstrates the channel’s selection of muscle building exercises.
The exercises that Diego Demonstrated are below.
Fit Media Channel’s Best Exercises
Muscle Group
Exercise
Warm Up
Chest
Incline Press
Standing Cable Flyes
Machine Press
Pec Deck Flyes
Barbell Pullovers
Shoulders
Seated Dumbbell Press
Incline Bench Front Raise
Dumbbell Front Raise
Machine Press
Cable Lateral Raise with Incline
Arms
E-Z Bar Curl
Cable Concentration Curl
Kneeling High Cable Curls
Single Arm Triceps Extension
Triceps Dips
Back
Wide Grip Pullups
Single Arm Cable Pulldown
Bent-Over Machine Row
Legs
Barbell Squats
Stiff Leg Deadlift
Leg Extension
Lying Hamstring Curl
Treadmill Lunges
Calf Raises
Abs and Core
Crunches-Alternating
Incline Bench Russian Twist
Hanging Knee Raises
Stretches
Diego and Pietro Boselli, Ph.D
I remember seeing Diego with fellow Italian model, Pietro Boselli, who was studying for a Ph.D. at University College, London, when one of his students posted a photo of him on social media. Diego and Pietro did a workout series for Fit Media Channel on YouTube in 2016.
Diego in Wire Magazine, February 2019
Diego provided an interview with Rafa Carvajal with Wire Magazine in February 2019. Asked by Rafa to use three words to describe himself, Diego responded: “curious, dreamer, and ambitious”.
According to the interview, Diego is a frequent traveler and enjoys playing the saxophone while at home in Italy or reading when he is traveling.
For underwear, Diego stated that he was once a boxers guy. Then he became a briefs guy to show off his leg muscles.
In the article, Diego wore a variety of briefs. I could make out the brand of one of them: Danny Miami. From his social media, Diego has worn briefs from Little Rok, too.
Diego is a muscle physique pro that takes care of his muscles and develops his brain with educational pursuits.
Be sure to follow Diego’s social media pages.
It was interesting to review his social media and physique work for this article. I hope there will be more. I will definitely update the blog post if I discover any new developments.
While browsing Twitter one day, I saw a post on a model named Antoni Porowski. I did not know about Antoni, so I searched him on Google. I found that he has a website, www.antoniporowski.com, and that he is an actor, model, and chef, who has co-authored a cookbook, Antoni in the Kitchen.
As a home cook that relies on recipes, I was interested and bought a copy at Target.
I am also a fan of photography. (The book has food (as expected) and some model photography.) The topic of this blog is men’s fashion, and I thought I would provide an observation of Antoni’s fashion style from his photos.
Inspiration: Men’s Casual Clothing Favored by Antoni
It appears that Antoni favors a well-fitted, casual look–t-shirts (mostly without logos), slim-fit denim jeans, and white sneakers (without logos), mostly. One photo has a sharp brown leather jacket.
Colors that Antoni wears in shirts are mostly blue and white, with some tops being purple, grey, or light red.
I typically use recipes from America’s Test Kitchen, so that I am assured of a proper result (excepting my own (rare) mix-ups, lol). Many cookbooks have recipes that will not satisfy a home audience with children or will use up every pot and pan you have (overwork).
From a quick read, I was able to find some
delicious new recipes, so I am encouraged to look further and keep it as a
resource when planning meals for family and friends.
Conclusion
Were it not for the Twitter post I saw, I
would not have known about Antoni or his book. Antoni has a great background
and an interesting career path. I certainly wish him all the best.
For my readers, are you a home cook or do you
eat at restaurants? What are some of your favorite cookbooks, foods, or both?
Please follow this blog, like the post, and drop a comment.
In August 2020, Box Menswear added 4 new underwear styles to its product selection. In addition, there is a new model wearing the clothes in the promotional photos, Matt Luscious, a fitness model and YouTuber from Canada. Matt worked with Photographer Paul Jamnicky.
Check out the blog post for more information about the new range selections.
Continue on with this blog post, which describes the 2019 additions.
Introduction
Box Menswear, an e-commerce company based in Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom.
I will start with a discussion of the brand owner, Luke Mills. After that, I will present information about preparations for the sale started in October 2019 with a photo shoot in Texas. Following that, I will discuss Box Menswear’s new item releases.
Josh Watson (left) and Daniel Shoneye (right) in Box Menswear king fit boxers.Daniel, photo by Alex WightmanTrevor J. by Carlos “Trey” Salazar. Trevor wears Box Menswear briefs and football socks.
To see photos of the items, please go to the Box Menswear website, and see the Box Menswear Pinterest page.
The Box Menswear brand, founded in 2014, is part of the Misfits Group, Ltd. The Misfits Group, according to its LinkedIn page, has other brands– Misfit Cosmetics, Pretty Little Palettes, and Petite Prosecco.
Luke Mills Interview with Bang and Strike
Luke did an interview with one of the stores that stock Box Menswear product, Bang & Strike.
In the interview with Bang & Strike, Luke provided the inspiration for the name of the brand, Box.
I just wanted super duper soft boxer shorts, that you can wear all day. I used to get told off as a kid for putting my hand down my trousers and rearranging my bits and bobs in my boxer shorts as they get all tangled up and uncomfortable and stuff like that, and I wanted something that didn’t do that. The name comes from my mum, because one of the many words for your private parts was your ‘lunch box’. There is a statue above Lewis’s in Liverpool, and the statue is a naked man with his willy hanging out, and she always called that his ‘Lunch Box’.
Above is the sizing chart for Box Menswear clothing.
The Preparation: The Texas,
United States, Photoshoot
In October 2019, Box Menswear had a week-long photoshoot session in Texas in the United States of America. The group had 19 models and 5 photographers (and the Box Menswear owner, Luke).
The models: Dan Tai, Josh Watson, Josh Jakobs, Daniel Shoneye, Alex Grant, Reno Gold, Carlos Effort, Paul Cassidy, Seth Holbrook, Ridick, Kyle Hynick, Fran Dullon, Refugio Hernandez, Rossilino, Dan Soar, Braydan Ifould, Anthony Stefanelli, Mojib.
(As a side note, through social media posts, I discovered that some of the models traveled to the United States for the first time for this trip: Dan Tai (UK), Braydan Ifould (Australia), Carlos Effort (Spain), and Paul Cassidy (Slovakia). (If there are more, please let me know in the comments.))
The photographers: Alex Wightman, Peter Fletcher, Texas-based Carlos Salazar, Rafa, and Jake O’Donnell.
The photo shoot started in Dallas, Texas, and then in Austin, Texas.
Josh Watson and Anthony Stefanelli
During the photoshoot in Texas, among the photos were some demonstrating the height differences among the models. Some photos feature models Josh Watson and Anthony Stefanelli. Josh is 6’4″ or 1.93 meters; Anthony is 5’3″ or 1.60 meters. The difference in height makes for striking photos.
Models Josh Watson and Anthony Stefanelli. Photos: (left) Box Menswear Instagram, (right) by Alex Wightman.
Mojib and Mario Andrion
In 2021, Mojib (1.67 meters, 5’6″) was in Tulum, Mexico with Model and YouTuber Mario Andrion (1.89 meters, 6’2″).
Daniel Shoneye and Fit Media Productions
In 2021, Model Daniel Shoneye was featured in an abdominal workout video for the YouTube channel, Fit Media Productions.
In 2022, Daniel demonstrated proper form for push-ups (press-ups).
Josh Watson’s Interview with Only Fans
Josh Watson had an interview with Only Fans. In the interview, Josh discusses his background as well as his favorite activities.
Micah E. Williams and James Loy for Fashionably Male Blog
Box Menswear has released new items for sale:
loungewear, new selections in underwear, and two items related to a campaign
for a UK organization, the National AIDS Trust.
Loungewear: Leggings and Lounge
or Pajama Shorts
Loungewear appears to be a popular clothing
category. The clothing is designed for wearing in one’s home–chilling after a
workday, dressing for a work-from-home day, or just for watching TV or doing
house chores. The clothing appears to be related to pajamas, or sleep clothing,
because you can wear these clothes to sleep in.
The key is that the clothing should look neat,
as stated in an article by Men’s Health.
Box Menswear has responded to this requirement with two items, leggings, and
lounge (or pajama) shorts.
Loungewear: Total Comfort Lounge
Leggings
In the loungewear category, Box Menswear has two colors for the Total Comfort Lounge Leggings available for sale, grey, and white, The fabric used for the leggings is new for the company. Box Menswear underwear typically has 92 percent cotton and 8 percent spandex.
The fabric in the leggings is 95 percent bamboo cotton and 5 percent spandex. According to the company description of the leggings, the fabric is “super soft bamboo cotton material” which are designed to “keep your legs warm without feeling restricted.”
Fran Dullon in Texas
The leggings are designed to be worn by itself
or with shorts. The issue is how a guy would feel having his manhood visible to
the world. I did a quick search engine search and found an article at Men’s Health,
where the author, Brett Williams, asked staff on their opinions on how to wear
leggings in the gym. Most of the guys’ questions would choose to wear shorts
over the leggings in public. The author ultimately decided to wear the leggings
by themselves–but with a shirt big enough to cover his manhood.
The colors that Box Menswear has for sale, grey and white could be more revealing without shorts and a grueling, sweaty workout at the gym or for an outdoor run. One of the photos on the webpage has Ridick in soaking-wet leggings. The fabric becomes transparent, and the fabric does become somewhat revealing in the manhood area but not totally.
[So, dear reader, what is your say, leggings with or without shorts? Drop a comment with your thoughts.]
Loungewear: Men’s Lounge (Pajama
or Bed) Shorts
In a previous post on this blog, I reviewed the various styles of men’s underwear, One style reviewed was the boxer shorts, and the Bed Shorts resemble this style.
Dan Tai
Dan Tai. Photographer: Rafa
The Box Menswear Bed (Lounge or Pajama) Shorts, you can sleep in them and do house- or apartment-related things wearing them. The fabric for these shorts is bamboo cotton. The lounge short come is two sizes only (small-medium and large-XL) because of the loose design. The shorts do not have pockets.
Note: The shorts that Dan Tai wears are no longer available. Box offers a different styles of pajama shorts on its website.
For the leggings, there is a struggle for the guy to decide if he wants to show the outline of his manhood to the public. With Box Menswear’s Totally See-Through Mesh Shorts, the option is left to a guy to wear underwear, jockstraps, or nothing at all under the shorts.
(The fabric content for these fishnet-style shorts is not mentioned in the product description.)
Men’s Underwear: Boxer Briefs
While the product descriptions at Box Menswear have “boxers”, the fit of the Box Menswear boxers is actually a boxer brief. Boxer shorts have a full fit, while the Box boxer fit close to the body. For more discussion about this distinction, you can read my previous blog post.
Men’s Underwear: Box Menswear King Fit Boxers
With the new items, Box Menswear added the color black to its existing king fit boxers range, which previously was only available in white.
The fabric content is for the body of the boxers, 96 percent Bamboo Viscose and 4 percent Elastane. For the vent, 88 percent Polyamide and 12 percent Spandex.
The King Fit Boxers are available in two lengths, 4 inches and 6 inches.
These boxers are fitted, so the company advises sizing up on them. The size range runs from small to 2XL.
In addition, Box Menswear added a king fit boxer selection with a mesh panel, for more-daring guys.
The largest portion of the new release involved jockstraps, a style of underwear that I reviewed briefly on a previous blog post.
Box Menswear’s products already includes jockstraps, but this version has a ribbed texture. The fabric content is the typical Box Menswear combination, 92 percent cotton and 8 percent Spandex.
The colors available are cobalt, pale plum, blackout, burgundy, light grey, military green, pale pink, and red.
[Readers: I am curious about these transparent items, jockstraps and the boxers. Readers, please share your thoughts in the comments. If this is a fashion trend, it would be interesting to hear more about it. My thought is that these are more-intimate items for use with significant others.]
Men’s Underwear: Box Menswear
Thongs
I reviewed thongs briefly in a previous blog post. The Box Menswear thong was created based on customer requests. The fabric content appears to be the same as the king fit boxers. The thong is transparent in black and in white.
[The request from customers and brand fans for
a transparent thong may have answered, in part, my question about these
transparent items. The reason for liking these garments is still not revealed.
I am interested in hearing from readers about transparent, or see-through,
underwear.]
Men’s Underwear: Red on Red Jockstrap and Briefs
Box Menswear with the red on red jockstrap and briefs is donating a portion of each sale to the UK-based National AIDS Trust in support of World AIDS Day on December 2, 2019.
The fabric content of both the jockstrap and
briefs is 92 percent cotton and 8 percent Spandex. The waistband for these
items are slightly wider than the other jockstraps and briefs.
In addition, to having a new range for sale, the company has existing product lines for sale, sports shorts, socks, boxer briefs, jockstraps, briefs, trunks, swimming trunks, and swimming briefs.
Box Menswear: Sports Shorts
When I first learned about Box Menswear, I first looked at the sports shorts 2.0 collection. While these can be worn for athletic pursuits, these shorts could be worn as lounge shorts or as even a trimmer form of the boxer shorts, as discussed in a previous blog post. The fabric content is 92 percent Elastane and 8 percent Spandex.
The Box Menswear sports shorts have a trimmer fit in black, and the company recommends that a customer size up to ensure a good fit. If the customer prefers a looser fit, the company recommends white sports shorts.
The sports shorts 2.0 are different from the previous Box sports shorts in that the shorts are label free. As a result, the shorts could be worn as underwear.
The Menswear Newsletter 