NYCs JFK Jr. lookalike contest reveals its studly…
It was a flashback to NYC in the Nineties.
A sea of hunks carrying backwards hats, fits and cut-off shirts took over Washington Square Park on Sunday for the first-ever John F. Kennedy Jr. lookalike contest.
As Lenny Kravitz’s 1991 hit “It Ain’t Over Until It’s Over” blasted through audio system, seven — more contributors had been in the group but arrived after the contest began — JFK Jr. wannabes confirmed off their preppy, laid back matches, rollerblading expertise and spectacular heads of hair, to tons of of googly-eyed ladies, hoping to be named the Big Apple’s “biggest hunk” and win a $250 money prize.
Stamford, Connecticut-native Julian DeVincentis, 31, was the fortunate stud who was topped that title.
Cosplaying a sporty JFK Jr. in a black tank top, matching shorts, darkish sun shades and a backwards hat, the 6-foot-2 Flatiron resident confidently rollerbladed around the large crowd, flexed his muscle mass and flashed his pearly whites, reminding NYC ladies that relationship a modern-day John-John isn’t as loopy a pipe dream as they may’ve thought.
Contest winner Julian DeVincentis (L) poses with his pal, who he joked was his publicist for the day, and his successful examine. Stefano Giovannini
As the contest’s emcee, organized by the Instagram account @heyhunk_, weaved through the contestants to hear who garnered the loudest cheers from the swooning women, it was apparent DeVincentis had received them over.
Assuming the competitors could be fierce, the charming 31-year-old told The Post that he knew he had a shot at successful but didn’t truly assume he’d take home the life-size examine.
Although there have been only seven official contest contributors, tons of of excited bystanders watched on Sunday. Stefano Giovannini
“I thought I’d come in second or third, honestly, but to win — I didn’t think it was going to happen,” he said.
DeVincentis’ uncertainty about the competitors might need stemmed from his mother’s response to the pre-contest selfies he had texted her earlier that day. “She said I did look like JFK Jr., which is funny because about a month ago… she said, I’m not as handsome as him, which is true, but to say that to your son, it hurt,” the 31-year-old jokingly recalled.
The “George” magazine founder had his own distinctive look, which many of today’s younger males are attempting to recreate. Lawrence Schwartzwald
But in true JFK Jr. fashion, there’s nothing like a crowd of cameras and smitten ladies, with thirsty indicators that read “Winner to claim prize at my apt,” fawning over you to enhance a younger single man’s ego.
After DeVincentis was named the winner, droves of guffawing ladies adopted him out of the park with cameras in his face. Many had been courageous enough to shoot their shot. Some reached out to really feel his muscular arms. Others just stared and admired him with buddies.
The park was stuffed with single NYC ladies trying for their modern-day JFK Jr. Andrew Court/NYPost
DeVincentis stops to take a image with one of the infatuated ladies at the contest, Lexie Kaufer. Stefano Giovannini
“It’s truly an honor to be compared to someone like JFK Jr. I’ve only gotten it once and it was three years ago on the West Side Highway. I was rollerblading and an older gentleman told me I resembled him,” the contest winner explained. “He [JFK Jr.] was a legend in his own right.”
DeVincentis’s look was impressed by JFK Jr. rollerblading around the streets of NYC in the Nineties. Alamy Stock Photo
DeVincentis and the world’s latest appreciation for the late former president’s son stems from the hit Ryan Murphy-produced FX collection “Love Story,” which chronicles JFK Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s (Sarah Pidgeon) intense relationship.
“I did binge it [“Love Story] the last few days. I totally enjoyed it,” he said.
Other contributors said their girlfriends, who are followers of the show, ran out to buy JFK Jr.-inspired garments just so their boyfriends might enter the contest. “She bought this entire outfit,” one said amongst the noisy crowd, pointing to his smiling girl.
Austin Flynn was one of the seven contestants who channeled their interior hunk on Sunday afternoon. Stefano Giovannini
The show’s reputation has helped reimmerse the couple as both cultural and model icons, inspiring a fashion renaissance for baby-faced children like Jack Silane.
Accompanied by his sister, who nudged him to partake in the contest, the 19-year-old told The Post that he agreed to it because he’s always admired the hunk’s model.
“I’ve always followed the Kennedy family’s story. And when I started getting into fashion more, JFK Jr. has always been my style [inspiration],” Silane explained, as close by ladies gawked at him, whispering, “He should’ve won.”
America’s prince was recognized for his cool, laid-back prep boy model. Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
Jack Silane didn’t need a lot convincing to partake in the contest, as he told The Post that he already clothes like JFK Jr. in on a regular basis life. Stefano Giovannini
The Manhattanite hopes the show’s reputation conjures up males of his technology to put more effort into how they gown, very like America’s prince did.
“I really don’t like it when I see people not putting effort into their clothes, or they’re just wearing sweats, especially among guys. It seems like there’s a lower bar and I really want to raise it,” the 19-year-old identified.
Other younger gents like Enir Radoncic, 24, who weren’t ready to formally enter the contest because it began forward of schedule, thanks to a close by protest making its manner through the park, had been shocked by the large turnout of thirsty ladies.
Enir Radoncic (second from the left) received caught in the large crowd, stopping him from formally collaborating in the contest — but there was no scarcity of keen ladies wanting to pose with him. Stefano Giovannini
“It’s funny and a bit awkward. I don’t know how to feel about it,” Radoncic bashfully told The Post as hordes of ladies surrounded him, taking footage from every angle like he was a piece of meat and they hadn’t eaten in days.
In a sea of Kangol hat-wearing males with bikes in tow, having fun with the eye of enamored bystanders, there have been a slew of ladies, like Courtney Koleda, channeling their interior Bessette Kennedy, hoping to discover their own love story, just more subtly.
Courtney Koleda told The Post she’s always been a big fan of JFK Jr. and CBK, even before the show got here out.
“My parents grew up in NYC in the ’90s, so this [JFK Jr. and CBK] was their royal family. When I was nine years old, I was grocery shopping with my mom and she said, ‘Let me show you something,’ and she pulled out a picture of Carolyn. She was like, ‘You need to look [and dress] like this,’” the 23-year-old blonde appropriately dressed in a Bessette-Kennedy-inspired outfit made up of a black turtleneck, Levi’s denims, darkish boots and small oval-shaped sun shades, recalled to The Post.
“My mom had my wedding planned from when I was a little kid. She would say, ‘We’re taking a road trip to Georgia. We’re going to the island,’” she explained, referencing the intimate 1996 secret ceremony the well-known couple had on Cumberland Island, Georgia.
Despite not discovering her own JFK Jr. on Sunday, Koleda is proud to see her fellow Gen Zers becoming a member of her on the Kennedy bandwagon.
“I really like the trends that are going around on Instagram, like the Carolyn Bessette fashion. I love that women are embracing that. And imagine being a guy and thinking you look like JFK Jr.? I love it,” she said.
Stay in the loop with the latest trending topics! Visit our web site daily for the freshest lifestyle news and content, thoughtfully curated to inspire and inform you.
