Sexiest guy next door at Target store near you

Roodly Prophete may be the sexiest guy ever to wear Target's khaki pants and red shirt uniform.

The Target manager from Tampa recently was named one of 12 finalists in Perry Ellis' hunt for the Sexiest Guy Next Door.

Prophete, 24, works at the Waters Avenue store in Town 'N Country and dabbles in modeling whenever opportunities arise. He heard about the online contest through Facebook and, on a whim, submitted photos.

"I love Perry Ellis and wear some of their clothes," he said. "It's a nice brand, well-respected."

The menswear company chose the finalists from about 1,000 entries based on their appearance. They wanted someone sexy with a classical American look who would represent the brand well.

Prophete, with his chiseled abs and bedroom eyes, fit the bill. Even if he's off the market and engaged to be married.

Born in the Turks and Caicos islands, Prophete describes his look as colorful, heavy on designs and sometimes preppy. He buys most of his clothing at International Plaza but browses the sale racks at work for muscle shirts, cargo pants and other "fun wear."

He follows a simple philosophy when it comes to fashion.

"Make it your own. Have your own style and don't do what everybody else is doing," he said. "You make the clothes, the clothes don't make you."

Prophete was raised in Fort Lauderdale and moved to Tampa five years ago. He played basketball for the University of South Florida and helped open a bar in South Beach before joining Target six months ago.

He didn't broadcast to colleagues and customers that he was a finalist in the contest in order to avoid any distractions.

"I didn't want the girls around here going crazy," said Prophete, who lives in New Tampa. "I'm a bit shy and I try to keep work, work,"

The contest winner, David Herskovits of Cincinnati, was announced July 22 after he earned more than 12,000 of the 39,000 votes cast. He won a trip to Miami to model in Perry Ellis' September fashion show, an editorial in Ocean Drive magazine and a weekend getaway.

Prophete would have loved to win but isn't discouraged.

"You've got to put yourself out there," he said. "If I hit it big, I hit it big."