Benito Skinner Knows The Best Accessory Is a Hairy Chest

The Overcompensating actor ditched any form of neckwear to let his bare chest breathe.Neil Mockford/Getty ImagesBenito Skinner is letting his hair run free. At the Burberry show in London yesterday, the Overcompensating star served up a platter of hot en vogue grooming. Bleach-blonde hair? Check. Boy bangs? They’re there. Skinny little mustache? Sprouted. Hairy chest? You can’t miss it.In Skinner’s last few public appearances, the Ride podcaster has toggled between extremes: he’s either worn a tie or a deeply unbuttoned shirt. At the US Open, he was seen in a preppy button-down and tie layered combo. His appearance at the Calvin Klein show during New York Fashion Week found Skinner pairing a tie with a more formal kit under a Matrix-like trench. But on one particularly balmy day in the city, he let his pecs breathe in between shows.The dichotomy of New York Fashion Week outfits for Benito Skinner meant he was either buttoned-up with a tie… Aeon… or letting his pecs breathe. WWD/Getty ImagesChalk it up to the late-summer, early fall transitional weather. But whatever the temp, Skinner has a knack for finding an outfit to complement his latest grooming decisions. Earlier this summer, he paired his bleach blond hair and intense tan with a preppy polo to channel a 2000s movie bully. At the Burberry event, a sultry silky shirt highlighted his sculpted, hairy chest, and fading tan, like he went from beach to runway with barely any time to change in between.The US Open, an event that's usually on the dressier side, called for a tie rather than an exposed chest. Shea Kastriner/Getty ImagesSkinner is one of many men who have flaunted some chest hair this year. Paul Anthony Kelly went bare-chested and unshaved as JFK Jr. in Love Story, Niall Horan gave us a peek in his GQ HYPE, and Dylan O’Brien showed off a bit at the Toronto International Film Festival. It’s been a dramatic turn from the waxed chests of the aughts, and part of a greater shift where men are letting hair on all parts of their bodies grow longer and messier: mustaches, neck-grazing manes, and even pubes.Ties may be back in style, but Skinner proves that chest hair itself can function as an accessory. Now if he’ll just take our advice and fully tuck in that shirt.Tyler Chin is GQ's associate wellness & grooming editor. He'll occasionally dabble in the menswear space, but otherwise you'll usually catch him trying out new headphones, lifting in fresh workout gear, or testing out the latest and greatest in skin care. Before he ended up at GQ, he worked at ... Read More