More than 20 years since the first edition, the Preview Ball 2024 was a veritable showcase of authentic, personal style. As in years past, fashion insiders and lovers alike stepped out in ‘fits that perfectly blended creativity, fun, and reverence to the announced dress code.
As the evening unfolded, it became clear that fashion is alive and well, with diverse takes on a singular dress code enlivening the event. From varying proportions to eclectic textures, attendees embraced the theme of “skin tone creative formal.” The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as guests flaunted their fashion choices, proving that the heart of fashion beats strongest when it reflects the wearer's true self.
Years ago, acclaimed designer Rajo Laurel was quoted to have said that the Preview Ball was the “prom of Philippine fashion.” It’s a description that still feels relevant many iterations—Green (2008), Barbie (2009), and McQueen (2010) have been ball themes ahead of the rest of the fashion world—and a couple of generations out: for the excitement it evokes, the buzz it generates, the memories it makes, and the impact it leaves.
Below, we summarized in graphs how this year’s batch dressed up at this long-running prom. As you go through each one, peruse it like you would fashion itself: not as an exact science but more as a source of fun, inspiration, and a little humor, if you will.
Preview Ball 2024 Outfits, Explained in Graphs
Figure 1. The Color Curve
Personal style was celebrated that evening and to fantastic results. There were some guests who pushed the envelope a bit more than others and yet there was also an overwhelming feeling of alignment across the ballroom that evening.
“I think the best thing about the Preview Ball dress code every year is that it's open to our guests' own interpretations.” shares Preview EIC Marj Ramos-Clemente. “‘Creative formal’ gives us that wiggle room to play around and have fun with dressing up—ultimately that's the point. And this year most especially, since we're celebrating authenticity, it was fascinating seeing how everyone took ‘nude’ and made it their own.”
To wit: OG Preview Girl Tweetie de Leon, Best Dressed awardee Xtina Superstar, actress Angelina Cruz, and fashion TikToker star Gabbie Mariano led the way in tonal dressing. Singer Jason Dhakal and BFFD honoree Gabbie Sarenas showed how color blocking helps break monotony.
But you also have to hand it to the outliers whose personal style and respective sartorial decisions prove that authenticity rocks indeed: Actresses EJ Jallorina and Mika Reins were visions in white, Best Dressed awardee Matteo Guidicelli in black and white tailoring looked Pitti Uomo-worthy, photographer JL Javier’s nude plus blue jeans combo and dancer Niana Guerrero’s sequined set felt organic, and Shaira Luna trading full-on beige for black was the photographers’ version of a rebel yell.
Figure 2. The Shine Scale
Creative formal is the ultimate “Yes, and…” of dress codes. With skin tone serving as a jumping point, guests took things a level higher with their choice of cut, fabric, embellishment, or proportions. These guests picked shine and ran away with it.
Model EJ Nacion mixed sheen and sheer to create an in-the-moment columnar look, while photographer Mav Bernardo chose a glossy mini-dress and dark tights to party the night away. Top lensman BJ Pascual cranked up the sheen with a jacket and trousers that seemed to light up on its own.
Actress Coleen Garcia and director Rod Singh took sparkle seriously in their respective ways—Coleen with a flash of leg and Rod with textures and layers. Finally, internet sensation Sassa Gurl threw it back to Barbiecore by gracing the occasion glistening in the nude, like the legendary doll sans a dress.
Fig. 3 The Skin Pie
“It all boiled down to personal preference. When we asked guests to come in the skin they're most comfortable in, they really let their most authentic selves shine through the cuts, silhouettes and fabrics they chose,” says Preview Managing Editor Reg Rodriguez on the evening’s skin exposure situation.
As in the TikTok trend, many partygoers showed up either very demure (mostly covered up) or very mindful (exposing skin in hints or slivers). EIC Marj Ramos-Clemente led the pack of demure dressers in her Seph Bagasao two-tone number. Champion of the creative industries Toff de Venecia walked the talk in a Randolf suit that demonstrated both structure and flow, while Asia’s Romantic Balladeer Christian Bautista ditched the tie in favor of a jacket with a playful lapel.
Nearly half of the guestlist strove for balance: Actresses Bianca Umali and Pat Tingjuy went for moderation with corseted dresses that faintly displayed their shapely stems. September 2024 cover girl Kathryn Bernardo and rising supermodel Sabina Gonzalez both opted for a midriff and left everything else to the imagination. PR maven Janlee Dungca bared her shoulders and let her tiered skirt do the talking. Nude carpet host Tim Yap wore an immaculate white suit with a heart cut-out in the back for good measure. Director Sam Lee and photographer Alan Segui showed up in looks that celebrated toned arms and sharp tailoring. Stylist Roko Arceo wore his own label Maligaya Clothing Co. and impressed in a matching lace top and trousers.
And then there were the very sexy: Actor Alex Diaz and photographer Andrea Genota could very well be that night’s king and queen of provocation. Best Dressed awardee Issa Pressman embodied the hubadera spirit even with layers upon layers of tulle on. And you gotta give it to M1ss Jade So whose fembot ensemble-slash-fantastic plastic look is as disarming as her out-of-this-world personality.
It could very well be the sign of the times, a previous experience with the ballroom’s superb air conditioning system, or a nod to global fashion’s autumn/winter calendar, but the hubaderas were few in number. There is however no need for alarm, Reg assures.
“There may not have been a lot of skin, but there was definitely a whole lot of attitude!”
Fig. 4 The Puff Meter
“The theme of the Ball was to really come as your most authentic self, and I assume that for our guests who wanted to display a bit of exuberance through their looks, opting for more voluminous and attention-grabbing silhouettes was the way to go,” says Preview content creator Em Enriquez.
Ces Drilon, legendary broadcaster and Best Dressed awardee, and Myrza Sison, Preview’s founding Fashion Editor served in their irreverent ‘fits. The exaggerated hips on Ces’ floor-length gown and the daring dimensions of Myrza’s long-sleeved frock were not for the faint-hearted. Of course, it helped that both women have been steeped in fashion for many years, allowing them to wear the dress and not the other way around.
There is also the curious case of talent management pro and model Kat Bautista who indulged her inner ballerina by showing up in a tutu that’s too hard to ignore. (How she sat or visited the loo—or not—that evening deserves its own masterclass.) Comedienne Melai Cantiveros-Francisco, on the other hand, picked a cocktail dress that matched her larger-than-life persona. And of course, Ha.Mu duo Mamuro Oki and Abraham Guardian showed up as the purveyors of pouf that they truly are, leaving no more room for any more volume from anyone else.
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