Kai Montinola in Jot Losa | Photography by Dookie Ducay with Eugene David as the creative director

Pinoy Big Brother: Gen 11 alum Kai Montinola is among Metro's picks for the best-dressed ladies at the ABS-CBN Ball 2025. It was her first time attending the prestigious event, and she debuted in the best way possible. 

Wearing an exquisite Jot Losa ball gown that looked straight out of a fairytale, Kai looked like an actual princess with her modelesque physique and overall aura. Her strapless gown features a corset bodice and a voluminous skirt in varying shades of pink. Kai chose "blooming" to describe what the outfit means to her and this moment in her life. 

"Since I'm bago sa industriya na 'to, they [her glam team] would want other people to see me as, this is me, I am just starting, yet I am blooming," Kai shared. 

Indeed, it was the perfect way to encapsulate the idea behind her look, following the ABS-CBN Ball's spring formal dress code. In an exclusive Metro room raid hours before she walked the red carpet, she also said that her gown was "pasabog" (something grand and statement-making) and like a "fairy tale."

Further sharing how she wanted to accessorize this striking custom creation, Kai revealed, "Kita naman that I have a long neck, and when I was younger, I used to be made fun of for having a long neck. Pero I grew up embracing it actually, so to enhance that, to enhance this feature of mine more, I really wanted to wear a choker." And so, her stylist, Adrianne Concepcion, finished off her look with a diamond choker necklace and matching earrings from Oro China Jewelry;the other accessories that completed her look were the minaudière from Bling and Co. and heels by Jojo Bragais.

Her updo hairstyle with wavy tendrils, styled by Brent Sales, also helped draw more attention to her neck, which she wanted to highlight. Makeup artist Paul Unating, meanwhile, went for a soft, angelic beauty look that's age-appropriate and complemented the youthfulness of her gown. 

"I would name this gown 'A Summer at the Clouds of Siquijor," Kai told Metro.Style. "Because I went to Siquijor recently for a shoot, and it was my first parang out of town where I got to actually enjoy my stay because I stayed there for more than one day. So, nag-swimming ako du'n and it was so pretty... The colors were the colors of the flowers sa resort na nag-stay kami. So parang it reminded me of where I was last month."

With spring as the theme of the ABS-CBN Ball, flowers come to mind as something associated with the season. So, what's Kai's all-time favorite flower? "My favorite flowers are tulips. Very simple but very classy. I do have tulip accessories. I really like implementing my favorite flowers in accessories. So I have a bracelet, a tulip bracelet, at home."

Check out more photos of Kai Montinola at the Metro lounge and Metro booth at the ABS-CBN Ball 2025:

Watch our exclusive interview with Kai below:

Related: ABS-CBN Ball 2025: 'PBB: Gen 11' Housemates Do a Portrait Shoot With Metro

Related: Metro Exclusive: Getting Ready With Kim Chiu for the ABS-CBN Ball 2025

Related: Metro Exclusive: Alexa Ilacad Says Her Inspiration for Her ABS-CBN Ball 2025 Look Has Sentimental Value

Producer and video editor: CJ Reyes
Interviewer: Arci Claveria
Videographer: Aura Pepito

Lead photo by Dookie Ducay and screenshot from a video by Aura Pepito