I found some of Kyle Hynick‘s photos where he was wearing a big flannel shirt that had an embroidered logo and design on it. I discovered that the jacket is an overshirt.
Is the overshirt a good piece to add to a guy’s wardrobe or is it just a passing fad? The overshirt is a versatile part of a guy’s wardrobe. I can see why the garment has many fans.
The Cardigan Sweater
Way back, I loved cardigan sweaters with designs like some overshirts; sadly, this type of cardigan faded away. The overshirt could fill the place of the cardigan, at least for me.
What is an Overshirt?
According to the EQVVS website, an overshirt is a jacket with the design of a shirt. The overshirt comes in various styles (zip front, button front, with pockets or without pockets) and fabrics (cotton or nylon). The style is casual, but some of the overshirts have great colors making those pieces more polished. The overshirt is versatile to wear in all seasons, which is great for the Washington, D.C., area weather pattern.
In selecting an overshirt, it should be big enough to fit a sweater underneath the overshirt, but not supersized (unless that is the look you are going for).
The overshirt provides many options for creating an outfit. I am still learning how about how to create a great look. I look to YouTube videos to see what fashion bloggers recommend.
The first video is by Style by Dillan, who provides advice on creating a two to a three-layered outfit.
In the second video, Devan on Deck styles overshirts for use in warmer climates or a transition from cold to warm weather. Devan also discusses how to use overshirts to introduce color to your outfit.
YouTuber Marcel Floruss, in the third video, demonstrates several overshirts, in a variety of fabrics.
Examples
Kyle Hynick
Instagram influencer, Kyle Hynick, started a page where he wears different outfits. In the photos with overshirts, Kyle wears flannel shirts with customized embroidery and plaid jackets. He wears an overshirt with a graphic tee and cargo pants or jeans. It is a well-styled, relaxed rugged combination, perfect for weeknights or weekends.
Celestial City
Celestial City is a small business located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Celestial City’s owner lives in Halifax.
The brand sells embroidered sweatshirts, as Kyle is wearing one. The brand also provides for custom embroidery requests. (Check the website for more details.)
Represent is a luxury streetwear brand based in Great Britain. George and Michael Heaton, brothers, own Represent.
Several of Kyle’s outfits have a graphic t-shirt, jacket, hoodie, or overshirt, and cargo pants from the brand.
Overshirt Brands
In researching this article, I became interested in the style, as I used to love cardigans with a design on them. While looking on Pinterest for Overshirt examples, I found a great looking overshirt from Percival. I liked the overshirt’s look (flannel work shirt, hazel mini hound–sold out), but I wanted to learn more about the company.
Percival is a Great Britain brand located in Hackney. The brand strives to combine a “British sense of understated style and rare, internationally-sourced fabrics and materials.” A group of five operate the business.
I emailed the company with a sizing question about another coat and received a reply. (I decided to look for an overshirt because I have several coats already. The size information was valuable.)
The order process was smooth. I will update the post with details about the delivery and fit.
Order Review
My order was mailed on January 25 from the United Kingdom and arrived at my home in the United States (through DHL (20 GBP)) on January 27. The shipping is pricey, but I appreciate more the delivery speed.
I am impressed with how neatly the order was packed in the mail bag. The order arrived in a black mail bag. Inside the work shirt was within a cloth bag with the Percival logo. There was an envelope with return information if needed.
The work shirt is made of wool but is not overly heavy. (I love my cashmere overcoat–warm and light–so I pay attention to a jacket’s weight.) There is a lining in the sleeves.
I am happy with my purchase, and I will keep looking on the website for other pieces to buy.
Conclusion
The overshirt is a versatile part of a guy’s wardrobe. I hope that this article is also a benefit for you, the reader. (I will update this post with further examples.)
Would you consider buying an overshirt? Let me know your thoughts in the comments or by email.
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The Influence of CK on Underwear Advertising and Social Media Influencers
Introduction
Note: This story is based on observations in a pre-pandemic New York City. May we recover from this pandemic experience, so that we will be able to scale back up with deliberate care–over time–to pre-pandemic levels.
One-time fitness model and personal trainer Kyle Hynick posted some photographs from his photoshoot with New York-based Photographer Jade Young seemingly in Times Square in New York City. The backdrop had people there who appeared not to be looking at a dude posing for photographs in his Calvin Klein underwear. The people essentially appeared to be fully engaged in doing tourist things. Initially, I thought that the background of Times Square was a creation of photo editing.
My thought was not correct. A commentator on Kyle’s photos stated that the commenter viewed Kyle’s photoshoot in person. I was immediately intrigued. Of course, physique competitors seek the limelight and can pose their well-trained and dieted physiques on stage in front of an audience. Posing a physique on a public stage is just a matter of scale.
I discovered that another model, Tyson Dayley, a WBFF pro fitness model, also had a photoshoot in Times Square. In his photos and video that he posted on Instagram, however, the people in the background also were taking photos of Tyson. People were sitting close by.
Times Square, Manhattan, New York City. What draws Photographer Jade Young there? Why a male in underwear appears to be an unsurprising sight? I did a quick Internet search on the history of Times Square to find out.
Times Square: from Gritty to Upscale Tourist Destination and Corporate Location
Times Square, a tourist destination and business area, was once home to adult films and gritty culture. There is a blog post on the history and transformation of Times Square at the Times Square District Management Association website.
Times Square and Calvin Klein Underwear
In Photographer Jade Young’s photos in Times Square, at times the models wear Calvin Klein underwear. There is a connection between Calvin Klein underwear and Times Square: the billboard ads for the underwear brand made history there.
In 1982, Calvin Klein had a billboard ad with Olympic athlete Tom Hintnaus in Times Square. The photographer was Bruce Weber. According to a New York Timesarticle, the billboard ad stopped traffic.
Since then, Calvin Klein ads pushed underwear advertising forward, including the next model, Mark Wahlberg. Following Mark Wahlberg, other models became famous after being featured in a Calvin Klein underwear ad. (See also another article on CK models becoming actors.) The New York Times published another article about another former Calvin Klein model, Antonio Sabato, Jr.
Also in Times Square, is a guy who has made a lot of money walking around Times Square in cowboy boots and underwear, the “Naked Cowboy“. Freshpair’s National Underwear Day, August 5, had a runway show in Times Square.
Jade Young and Times Square Photoshoots
When the Calvin Klein ads first appeared, high-speed Internet or social media sites did not exist. But that history seems to have had some influence on fitness models and influencers, who often feature underwear or men’s clothing brands in their social media posts.
In addition, there are more underwear brands in the market. Still, Calvin Klein, now part of PVH Corporation, remains a strong market player in underwear.
Jade Young now also takes photoshoots in Times Square with men in underwear in person rather than in a billboard photograph. I think the transition also humanizes the model as you could interact with the model and the photographer and perhaps even get an autograph. Formerly, you only could look up at a huge billboard ad.
A Sidenote-Calvin Klein in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan
Michael Hallenbeck, an NYC-area photographer had a photo shoot (2018) with fitness model Nick Sandell in Hell’s Kitchen.
Hallenbeck captured images of Sandell posing around Manhattan in a pair of Calvin Klein boxer briefs.
Conclusion
When I looked at Jade Young’s photos of models in Times Square, I did not expect that it would lead to a blog post. But the notion of posing in public so openly was an attention grabber. When doing research and finding articles that traced a story, my old journalistic love for a story was reawakened. I could not resist.
How interesting that a Calvin Klein ad pushed the mainstream culture forward as well as developed many new underwear brands. Despite that, Calvin Klein remains a market force.
If you notice any Instagram posts with other fitness models in Times Square, please leave a comment with the link.
I first saw Kyle Hynick, a mens physique competitor and fitness model from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, when he did a photoshoot for Box Menswear in New York. (Note: Fellow model Josh Riquelme was at the same photoshoot.)
According to his portfolio page at his modeling agency, City Models, Kyle is 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall with a 31 inch (78.7 cm) waist. Kyle is a Leo (birthday August 16). Kyle also has a page at Model Mayhem.
Along with fitness influencer physique and workout photos, Kyle also has an Instagram page where he models street wear, including the grunge style.
The grunge style includes flannel overshirts (including some with customized embroidery), graphic tees, and distressed jeans or cargo pants. It is a rugged, relaxed look, which looks great on him.
Photo shoot with Photographer Mark Jenkins (2021).
Jade Young in Manhattan, New York City
When Kyle posted these photos on Instagram, I thought they were a photomontage. (No one in the crowds of people is looking at him.) Nevertheless, the 2019 photos are really in Times Square, New York City. Someone who saw him there wrote a comment. The photographer is Jade Young.
Check out a related blog post on Times Square, Calvin Klein billboard ads and today’s fitness influencers.
Author’s note: Some of Kyle’s photos with Jade were featured in DNA Magazine.
In doing a search on YouTube, I found that Kyle had been a fitness YouTuber starting about 8 years ago. At the time, Kyle was focused more on bodybuilding. A transformation video received 2.3 million views in 2013, according to an interview of Kyle in a Canadian newspaper.
In mens physique, the contestants wear board shorts and do semi-flexed body poses. The emphasis is on overall physique not muscularity. The categories are determined by height only; there are no weight classes.
While at the Texas Box Menswear photoshoot, Kyle was in pre-contest condition. In October 2019, after the Texas photoshoot, Kyle competed in and won the novice mens physique division at the 2019 St. John Fall Classic in Canada.
Photographer: Paul Girvan. Board shorts, Chula Wear.
In early 2019, Kyle was in New York for a photo shoot for Box Menswear, with Photographer Jade Young. Also, at that photo shoot was New York-based model Josh Riquelme. In July 2020, DNA Magazine featured some of the images from Kyle’s photo shoot with Jade.
In November 2020, Kyle was featured in an advertorial in Attitude Magazine for Box.
Kyle Hynick at Photographer Jade Young’s studio for Box Menswear.
While in Florida, Kyle did a photo shoot with Photographer Steven Schmidt. Photographer Schmidt mentioned that Seth Holbrook connected him with Kyle. I have noticed how the models from the Box Menswear photo shoot in Texas have supported each other.
Box Models (left to right) Dan Soar, Braydan Ifould, Josh Riquelme, Carlos Effort, Reno Gold, Mojib, Daniel Shoneye, and Josh Watson celebrate the last day of the photo shoot
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Preview: Presenting Matt Luscious and the 2020 Additions to the Range
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.
(Note: I have a review of my order from the brand in another blog post.)
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 in the United States. Following that, I will discuss Box Menswear’s new item releases.
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 Riquelme, 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.
Two of the models, Josh Riquelme and Dan Tai, are YouTubers. They prepared video logs of their experiences (below).
Related Note: Josh Riquelme Visits Box HQ in Liverpool
Josh Riquelme, one of the models at the Box photoshoot in Texas, visited Box Menswear headquarters in Liverpool, UK, and posted a YouTube vlog.
During this photo shoot, the images for the new products were captured. In addition, the photographers captured other model shots, some of which are on the photographers’ respective Instagram accounts.
In addition, many of the models are active social media producers, with many posting on Instagram and Only Fans regularly. As photography lovers, the models also took photographs and posted many photos on their social media accounts.
Josh Watson and Anthony Stefanelli
During the 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″).
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.
Josh Riquelme in Texas
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
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.
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.)
The models on the Box Menswear website,
demonstrate all options for wearing these shorts. These shorts are best left
for the private entertainment of a significant other.
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.
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.]
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 previous version of the sports shorts (out of stock) had slightly less length than the sports shorts and demonstrating the wearer’s thighs, glutes, and other attributes. These details were the goal of the redesign.
