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Music is a powerful force that brings people together and forms like-minded, tight-knit communities. Fashion and styling? They come second. Our personal style is merely the armor we put on after the beat has already claimed us. But when music and fashion collide on a red carpetRed CarpetThe ceremonial walkway at premieres and award shows where celebrities pose for photographers, and by extension the high-profile fashion on display there. Red carpet looks set menswear trends, as actorsGo to Red Carpet Glossary under the blinding lights of the Filipino Music Awards, the results are either sheer alchemy or a tragic cry for help. Here are the stars doing it right.
Kamikaze
Leave it to OPM’s favorite resident chaos agents to take the traditional dress codeDress CodeThe set of guidelines for appropriate clothing at an event or workplace, from casual and smart casual to business and black tie. Understanding a dress code shows respect for theGo to Dress Code Glossary, turn it inside out, and hand it back as a punchline. Arriving in matching jet-black barongs paired with full silver-and-white wigs, fake goatees, braided tresses, trucker hats, and tinted aviators, the band staged a geriatric coup d’état.
The deliberate absurdity of their styling isn’t the gag itself; it’s the sheer, unadulterated swagger behind it. These men don’t wear clothes so much as they wear their own irreverent personalities. While everyone else was agonizing over break-lines and lapel widths, Kamikazee reminded us of rock ‘n’ roll’s most essential rule: style is nothing without a bit of anarchy.
G22
This is a masterclass in structured tailoring and wearing pops of color. The girl group’s all-suit and class attire is an intellectual exercise. The trio stepped out drenched in warm monochrome suiting, executing a look that felt less like traditional red-carpet glamour and more like a deliberate 1970s power-dressing manifesto.
APL.ED.AP
There are the FilipinoFilipinoThe national language of the Philippines, widely used for communication, education, media, and culture.Go to Filipino Glossary Music Awards; then there is APL.DE.AP, a man who has spent decades operating at the exact intersection of global pop culture and unapologetic Filipino heritage. Apl.de.ap’s ensemble is a structured, metallic silver barong-inspired jacket. Layered over a charcoal button-down with clean pearl buttons, he finished the look with his signature accessories: a textured black cap and tinted, thick-framed opticals. It was relaxed, quietly authoritative, and completely anchored in his own identity.
Willbert Ross
Ross’ suit is a masterclass in deconstructed monochromatic tailoringTailoringThe craft of cutting, fitting, and altering clothes to suit an individual's body, from adjusting trouser hems to creating an entire suit. Good tailoring transforms how clothes look and feel,Go to Tailoring Glossary. Instead of leaning on the safe security of a standard two-piece, Ross opted for a slate-grey crossover jacket with an asymmetrical closure and built-in fringed sash details that draped across his waistline. Anchored by a clean black dress shirt, he allowed the jacket’s structural experimentation and the cluster of mismatched decorative brooches on the lapel to handle the heavy lifting. It looked avant-garde without feeling forced. Ross hit the sweet spot: sharp, tactile, and effortlessly modern.
Arthur Nery
Arthur Nery’s suit leaned heavily into his signature moody, late-night R&B persona with a look that felt equal parts Western outlaw and high-fashion recluse. Dressed in a deep chocolate-brown velvet double-breastedDouble-BreastedA jacket style with overlapping front panels and two columns of buttons, giving a strong, formal look and a broader chest line. Double-breasted suits and blazers have made a comeback,Go to Double-Breasted Glossary blazer adorned with delicate metallic stud detailing along the lapels and chest pockets, Nery proved that rich textures always beat loud colors. The silhouette was sleek and effortlessly him.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kamikazee, who paired jet-black barongs with silver wigs, fake goatees, and aviators for a playful, irreverent look.
A structured, metallic silver barong-inspired jacket layered over a charcoal button-down.
A dark, utilitarian look with charcoal greys, oiled blacks, and mesh details, departing from typical red-carpet suiting.
A deconstructed slate-grey crossover jacket with asymmetrical closures and mismatched decorative brooches.
James Fergus Arevalo
James Fergus Arevalo is a writer for GQ Philippines, blending the rigorous mind of a data scientist with a passion for modern grooming, lifestyle, and culture. When he isn't writing, he spends his time meditating, painting, and exploring the deeper questions of life. He holds a degree in Biology from Ateneo de Naga University and has a deep curiosity about human potential. You can contact him at [email protected].