The Best-Dressed Stars at the GQ Philippines Black-Tie Launch Dinner

GQ entered the Philippines last night with a black-tie grand launch dinner, revealing that NBA star Jordan Clarkson, singer-actor Darren Criss, and media personality Erwan Heussaff are fronting three inaugural covers for GQ Philippines. Published under license from Condé Nast, the magazine launches under MEGA Global Group, Inc. (MGGI), with Danyl Geneciran named the title’s first editor-in-chief.

With guests given room to style the dress code their own way, guests showed up in sleek suits that could do all the talking. Much like the men featured in this maiden issue, they brought plenty of personality to the dress code. The suits were mandatory. Personality was optional. These guests brought both. Here are some of the best-dressed men and notable women at the GQ Philippines launch dinner.

AGC Power Holdings Corp. Chairman and CEO Archie Carrasco and CBO & EP Randolf Palanca Jr.

We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the main man behind AGCPH, Archie Carrasco, who looked sleek and dapper alongside Chief Business Officer and Executive Partner Randolf Palanca Jr. Two shades of black: Carrasco kept things clean in a matte tuxedo from Boss, with his thick-framed glasses adding an edge to his look. Palanca went for texture in a subtly sequined jacket that caught the light without shouting. Both finished with classic bow ties.

GQ Philippines Editor-in-Chief Danyl Geneciran

This is how you execute a host-of-the-evening black-tie look. The Editor-in-Chief set the tone in razor-sharp peak lapels, a crisp white shirt, and a classic bow tie, finished with a subtle Philippine flag pin on the lapel. It was local power transformed into clothing: quietly authoritative yet entirely approachable. A fitting first look for the man shaping the vision of GQ Philippines.

Gab Yap with Miss Universe Philippines Bea Millan-Windorski

GQ Philippines Associate Features Editor Gab Yap and Miss Universe Philippines Bea Windorski made a convincing GQ couple with Anthony Ramirez. Yap wore a crisp white dinner jacket, which he told us he finally had a reason to wear again, while Millan-Windorski wore a tuxedo-inspired dress in satin, with lapels across the chest that mirrored the lines of a classic men’s suit.

Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncy

Wurtzbach graced the GQ Philippines black carpet in a sculpted black blazer-gown by CDAM, styled by Perry Tabora. A deep V at the sternum, connected by a mirrored metal bar and flowing into a dramatic, sweeping train, had a femme fatale edge. Bvlgari jewels completed the look. This is architecture translated into fashion: powerful and enchanting.

Nadine Lustre

All-out shimmer. A diamond in a sea of glass, Nadine Lustre’s strapless silver fringe gown demanded attention as she moved from GQ’s black carpet to the dinner tables. Understated glam, maximum shine, all-out charm. 

GQ Philippines Cover Stars Darren Criss & Erwan Heussaff

Our two cover stars in attendance took different approaches to the black-tie dress code: Criss looked edgy in a leather suit by Gucci, while Heussaff kept things polished in a classic tuxedo, finished with a fun, droopy bow tie.

Mauro Lumba

Clean and classic. A black suit, white shirt, slim striped tie. It had that rare quality where restraint reads louder than embellishment ever could. No fuss, all confidence, yet that cheeky grin does the rest.

Maja Salvador

Maja Salvador proves that power dressing can be done right. A polka-dot velvet pantsuit, complete with an oversized blazer and perfectly proportioned trousers. Paired with sleek, pulled-back hair and minimal jewelry, the look was effortlessly commanding without trying too hard.

Robbie Jaworski & Magui Ford

Jaworski was ever the gent in a sleek bow tie and classic tux. He was joined by Magui Ford, who looked gorgeous in a midnight sequined gown. Together, they looked like a pairing made for the cover of a magazine.

Santino Rosales

Not a wrinkle in sight, not a button out of place. Nothing about it screamed for attention, and that’s precisely why it got all of it. Rosales wore a classic pinstripe double-breasted suit, looking cool, easy, and confident. The life of the room.

Cole Micek

Micek’s shawl lapel gets the lighting just right. Structured through the shoulder, sharp at the waist—the kind of detail you only notice on a suit that is truly made just for you.

Anthony Constantino

Constantino in a noir velvet tux and teeny-tiny bow tie, with proportions that get everything right. Traditional, sharp, and unfussy. Exactly what a great tux should be.

Kyle Echarri

It’s an all-black suit, but Echarri makes it funky. The look had all the suave of Gomez Addams. The tailoring moved beautifully with him rather than stiffly around him, a clear sign of a tailor who measured twice and cut once.

Kendrick Cay & CP Garcia

Going against the grain is part of the GQ Philippines DNA. Construction Layers founders Kendrick Cay and CP Garcia are proof that unconventional dressing can be both meaningful and stylish. Cay wore a velvet jacket with a loosely knotted skinny tie, while Garcia opted for a military-inflected double-breasted coat buttoned to the collar. Round glasses completed both looks.

Michelle Dee

This is what happens when a look plays with bold proportions and gets it right. Dee’s sculpted grey cropped jacket featured an exaggerated, architectural collar, set against a sleek black maxi skirt. Bold structure, a bare midriff, and pure attitude.

Paeng Nepomuceno

Pure, unadulterated, old-school elegance. The sporting icon wore a classic shawl-lapel tuxedo paired with a traditionally pleated white dress shirt and a crisp black bow tie. A true black-tie veteran, Nepomuceno looked poised, cultured, and perfectly at ease, even mid-candid snapshot.