Cast away your troubles,
And go fishing.
So what’s the catch? 

Surrounded by fishnets, as if dumped from a ship set sail on a marooned island, the entire Michelson Studios overlooking Hudson river was bathed in fresh sunlight. And amidst the light was a rescued shipwreck of poetically woven fishnets. And the catch was a hunky assembly line of muscular boys pearly jewels in low-cut and brightly printed underwear.

Bench/Body presented their first underwear collection at New York Fashion Week Mens (NYFWM), targeted primarily at men but with a sprinkling for women too. As a leader of underwear in the Philippines, theirs was a premium quality set of jewel protecting underwear, which ranged from simple and basic to downright sexy. They collaborated with Cadet, the show which was a take on Roman voyages with designers Raul Arevalo and Bradlet Schmidt.

Hair Stylist T. Cooper of Metro Look named the men in fishnets “Manmaid”, referring to a work mermaid, i.e. men. With wet look curls and ocean swept hair, the boys looked like fresh catch, and as some voyeurs put it, bait.

Each of the boys was aptly toned and buffed up with both muscle and artwork to give a beachy look. Strips of chalk or outlines of sea turtles, and carefully pasted fauna and flora on the models evoked a sense of having just been swept up in the nets alongside other forms of catch.

While many opted to look at the feathery and modern camo beaded footwear, I found the sparkling jewelry far more inspiring: long beaded necklaces, winding down to the hip, and rewound to create chokers of sorts. Several had shark teeth and claw-like pendants, while others were accented with neckerchiefs and bandanas.

Alongside snapbacks in floral and loud tones and straw hats with pastel floral accents, the boys exuded a sense of laid back leisure. The accessories added dimension and playfulness, like creatures of an ocean that was truly alive. Alive with hidden treasures and sparkling colors.

The underwear itself comprised of palm and floral blue and green silhouettes with thick bold waistbands. In contrast, the plain toned briefs and trunks highlighted the brand logo further, easy to peak at from low rise denim.

Darker hues and florescent piping, alongside bolder jungle and hibiscus prints were spotted as signals for the more daring and reproductive of males out there.

I once heard that fishing was a favorite form of loafing around. In which case, this net caught the right catch…
To loaf around with!