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It was a flashback to NYC in the 1990s.
A sea of hunks wearing backwards hats, suits 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 speakers, seven — more participants were in the crowd but arrived after the contest started — JFK Jr. wannabes showed off their preppy, laid back fits, rollerblading skills and impressive heads of hair, to hundreds of googly-eyed women, hoping to be named the Big Apple’s “biggest hunk” and win a $250 cash prize.
Stamford, Connecticut-native Julian DeVincentis, 31, was the lucky stud who was crowned that title.
Cosplaying a sporty JFK Jr. in a black tank top, matching shorts, dark sunglasses and a backwards hat, the 6-foot-2 Flatiron resident confidently rollerbladed around the massive crowd, flexed his muscles and flashed his pearly whites, reminding NYC women that dating a modern-day John-John isn’t as crazy a pipe dream as they might’ve thought.
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 ladies, it was obvious DeVincentis had won them over.
Assuming the competition would be fierce, the charming 31-year-old told The Post that he knew he had a shot at winning but didn’t actually think he’d take home the life-size check.
“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 competition might have stemmed from his mom’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.
But in true JFK Jr. fashion, there’s nothing like a crowd of cameras and smitten women, with thirsty signs that read “Winner to claim prize at my apt,” fawning over you to boost a young single man’s ego.
After DeVincentis was named the winner, droves of giggling women followed him out of the park with cameras in his face. Many were brave enough to shoot their shot. Some reached out to feel his muscular arms. Others just stared and admired him with friends.
“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 and the world’s recent appreciation for the late former president’s son stems from the hit Ryan Murphy-produced FX series “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 participants said their girlfriends, who are fans of the show, ran out to buy JFK Jr.-inspired clothes just so their boyfriends could enter the contest. “She bought this entire outfit,” one said amongst the noisy crowd, pointing to his smiling lady.
The show’s popularity has helped reimmerse the couple as both cultural and style icons, inspiring a fashion renaissance for baby-faced youngsters 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 style.
“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 nearby women gawked at him, whispering, “He should’ve won.”
The Manhattanite hopes the show’s popularity inspires men of his generation to put more effort into how they dress, much 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 pointed out.
Other young gents like Enir Radoncic, 24, who weren’t able to officially enter the contest because it started ahead of schedule, thanks to a nearby protest making its way through the park, were shocked by the massive turnout of thirsty women.
“It’s funny and a bit awkward. I don’t know how to feel about it,” Radoncic bashfully told The Post as hordes of women surrounded him, taking pictures from every angle like he was a piece of meat and they hadn’t eaten in days.
In a sea of Kangol hat-wearing men with bikes in tow, enjoying the attention of enamored bystanders, there were a slew of women, like Courtney Koleda, channeling their inner Bessette Kennedy, hoping to find their own love story, just more subtly.
“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 jeans, dark boots and small oval-shaped sunglasses, 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 famous couple had on Cumberland Island, Georgia.
Despite not finding her own JFK Jr. on Sunday, Koleda is proud to see her fellow Gen Zers joining 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.
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