RUBINA’S RADAR | JIO WORLD PLAZA OPENS IN MUMBAI

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NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Ahead of its opening on November 1st, 2023, Isha Ambani, Executive Director, Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, alongside her parents, Mukesh and Nita Ambani, hosted an extravagantly appointed preview of the Jio World Plaza at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai on October 31st. The Jio World Plaza’s nothing like India has ever seen, and it stands to change the landscape of luxury in India in a manner most indulgent, aspirational and consumeristic. Cartier, Dior, Rolex, Giorgio Armani, Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balenciaga, Valentino, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Muji and Samsung are just some of the 66 luxury brands housed in the glimmering plaza, vying for your attention and your bucks, but of course. Tiffany & Co, Rimowa, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Versace, Bulgari and Pottery Barn marked their presence at the plaza, and in India, with their very first stores in the country. For culinary indulgences, coffee and sweet conversations, there’s the Parisian Laduree and the Italian Armani Cafe. Looking at the expanse of the space spread over four levels and the signages of brands, you can’t not think, jio luxury jio! Prior to the opening of JWP, luxury brands were compelled to open stores in hotels due to a dearth of quality retail space in the country. But thankfully, the plaza has called in the death of the archaic, hotel-housed luxury store model in India. The raison d’etre for the Jio World Plaza was best expressed by Nita Ambani, at the opening affair, “We want to bring the world to India and take India to the world.”

Jio World Plaza, Mumbai | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

The Cartier store, inaugurated by brand ambassador, Deepika Padukone, has the headlining space of 2500 square feet right at the entrance of the plaza. The rents at JWP are commensurate to the luxuries on offer, and the square footage of space, but naturally. Christian Dior’s Indian arm, Christian Dior Trading India has leased a space of 3317 square feet in the plaza from Reliance Industries for upwards of INR 21 Lakh a month, the rental of which is based on the minimum monthly guaranteed sum or net revenue share, contributions ranging from 4% to 12%, whichever is higher, as reported by Reuters. India’s 1.4 billion population is the largest in the world and real estate consultants, Knight Frank, estimate India will have 1.4 million millionaires by 2026, 77% more than in 2021, as the economy continues to grow. India’s per capita income as of 2023 is INR 1,92,000 ($2,300) and the country has more than 800,000 millionaires. These millionaires, who make up only 0.06% of India’s total population of 1.4 billion, are ready to flash and splash their cash on all things expensive, but not necessarily luxurious. After all, an expensive price tag is a hashtag to immediate Instagram fame and validation for some, and a discreet buy for connoisseurs of luxury.

Shloka and Akash Ambani, Mukesh Ambani and Radhika Merchant, ©Ranveer Singh, ©Isha Ambani and ©Nita Ambani | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

This is the third Reliance extravaganza of 2023 celebrating the international worlds of art, fashion, sports and culture in India. The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) multi-day opening gala on April 1st, the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance at the Jio World Centre on October 14th and the Jio World Plaza opening on October 31st has had Indians entranced with the sheer scale of the build, both physical and fiscal, and the glamour power attached to them. The entire Jio complex, including the Jio World Garden, Jio World Drive and the Jio World Convention Centre, took about 13 years to build.

©Karisma Kapoor Jio World Plaza, Manish Malhotra and Rubina A Khan, Nora Fatehi, ©Alia Bhatt and Janhvi Kapoor | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

The JWP opening saw a theatrical fashion show, The New Order of Style, choreographed by Aparna and Anisha Bahl, showcasing eight designers, with 21 showstoppers, 40 performers and 120 models on the second level of the plaza, with an opening address by Isha Ambani, the hostess of the night. Manish Malhotra’s Bombay Bordeaux collection was fire and desire in bold colours and styles, with Karisma Kapoor working a red haute sari suit on her lithe frame, and Janhvi Kapoor, Nora Fatehi and Karan Johar walking the show for him. Abraham & Thakore’s collection was an artistic smorgasbord of delicious monochromatic blacks and whites. The original model mould and butt bold, John Abraham, walked for Satya Paul by Rajesh Pratap Singh. Miss Supranational Asia 2022, Ritika Khatnani walked for Ritu Kumar’s beautiful collection, as did Sara Ali Khan for Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, and many more beautiful ladies and gents walking for the designers. But can there be a fashion spectacle in Bombay without Ranveer Singh? Evidently not, and his runway appearance elicited roaring cheers from the guests as he walked in a bejewelled black dhoti and blazer at the end of the showing. Singh then went on to turn compere for the evening, bringing in Nita Ambani’s 60th birthday (November 1st) with effusive praise for her beauty, elegance and visionary work. She wore a gold Kanjivaram saree to the opening, made by master artisan, Somadas. Known as a Kanchi Pattu and woven in the korvai style in pure silk zari, from her yet-to-launch Swadesh initiative by the Reliance Foundation, the sari was an ode to India’s master craftsmen. Seated by Kokilaben Ambani, Mukesh and Nita Ambani, Akash and Shloka Ambani, Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, were Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Pinky and Sanjay Reddy, and many more guests. Everyone looked fabulous and happy with the fashion theatre, culinary delights, late night shopping, open bars and the high ceilings.

Laila Lamba, Malaika Arora, Poonam Bhagat and Shalini Hinduja | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

FIVE THINGS I LOVED AT THE JIO WORLD PLAZA OPENING:

  1. The red carpet photo ops are held inside air-conditioned confines, with no one breaking into a sweat literally, with melting makeup, guests and photographers alike.
  2. Isha Ambani in Dior (she changed a few times through the evening – she does own the plaza after all!) Alia Bhatt in Gaurav Gupta and Malaika Arora in Alaia were the black beauties of the night.
  3. The basil and cinnamon ice cream and the Laduree macarons.
  4. Ranveer Singh’s sincere compering skills in a colloquial style that held the attention of the attendees.
  5. The plaza itself and that the evening was orchestrated flawlessly and impeccably with the most genteel and polite staff. I mean, even the security dogs barked politely!

Let the Reliance Return on Investments (RROI’s) begin as Reliance is here to play as you pay!

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©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | BILLIONS ARE FASHIONABLE

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OCTOBER 27, 2023

It is you and your skin, that makes fashion visible and desirable, with or without clothes caressing your person. And who knows skin better than Kim Kardashian who turned billionaire with Skims, and billions are fashionable! The success of Skims for women made her launch Skims Men on October 26th with a fabulous campaign featuring pro athletes to add a few more billions to her skin game. Her billionaire sister, Kylie Jenner, posted an affordable Hi with Khy, her new clothing line that will retail vegan leather coats priced at $198 November 1st onwards. Meanwhile, Indian fashion will be celebrated with regal ease, in the palaces of Jaipur this November, with the sound of clinking glasses of Glenlivet and Royal Salute adding to the allure of the night.

LOS ANGELES: Skims changed the shapewear game for women around the world, making its founder, Kim Kardashian a billionaire. As of July 2023, the valuation of Skims, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, stands at $4 billion. And Kardashian wants more, stretching her seamless sights and tights on men. Skims Men dropped on October 26, with a campaign featuring pro male athletes – Brazilian soccer player Neymar Jr. (Al Hilal SFC), American footballer Nick Bosa (San Francisco 48ers) and Canadian basketball player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder). There are three collection for men, “designed for your best performance” as it claims, in cotton, stretch and sport, that includes underwear, tees and tanks and socks in her trademark soft and comfortable fabrics. Prior to her Skims era, Kardashian could never find shapewear to match her skin tone, making her dye the limited ones available with tea bags and coffee in her bathtub before her red carpet appearances. This vacuum in the market prompted Kardashian to create Skims with business couple, Jens and Emma Grede in 2019 with underwear, shapewear and lounge clothing for women in multiple hues to match every skin tone around the world. And, Skims for women has been a fitting, body hugging success since, as will be Skims for men, in all likelihood.

©Neymar Jr and Nick Bosa for Skims Men

JAIPUR: Jaipur, a UNESCO world heritage site since July 2019, really seems to be in step with fashion this holiday season. The city is hosting not one, but two fashion shows on the first weekend of November and on the same date, in its historical and walled confines. There’s the Rewild fashion fundraiser show by the House of Anita Dongre, founded in 1995 by Anita Dongre and her siblings, Meena Sehra and Mukesh Sawlani, taking place on Saturday, November 4th at the City Palace. It is jointly hosted by designer Anita Dongre and Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur and her daughter, Gauravi Kumari, with a brunch the following day. In line with Dongre’s belief that “the opportunity to lead a dignified life should be accessible to all, from people to animals,” the Anita Dongre Foundation has collaborated with the Nature Conservation Foundation in Mysore to raise funds to preserve and protect the Earth’s wildlife, their focus being elephant welfare and conservation in India. And, a mere six kilometres away, a capsule fashion show at the Rambagh Palace will see designer Rajesh Pratap Singh, exhibiting his collection on its grounds the same evening, along with other designers. Interestingly, Dongre’s show is being held at the City Palace, and the Rambagh Palace show on its grounds, both palaces belonging to the divided royals of Jaipur. It’s Pernod Ricard for the win in Jaipur this season, celebrating fashion with their scotch whiskies – Glenlivet at Dongre’s fundraiser and the befitting Royal Salute at the Rambagh show. Royal Salute has been a part of royal history for over 70 years, given it was created on June 2nd, 1953 to honour the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II of England, and named after the ceremonial 21-gun salute fired from the Tower of London to mark royal occasions. Royal Salute has been a part of Pernod Ricard since 2001.

Anita Dongre (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)

MUMBAI / BALI: He’s Indian, he’s Goan, and he’s been a Bombay guy for a while now, but come November, he’s all set to become a Balinese guy. Chef Dane Fernandes, Executive Chef of the JW Sahar Mumbai is moving to the Westin Nusa Dua Bali, Indonesia in November, both hotels under Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain. Marriott International generated approximately $20.77 billion in revenue in 2022 worldwide. Fernandes is all about food, especially hyper regional fare, that he learnt to cook from his grandmother in Goa. Anyone who works with him learns the art of innovation and patience, no easy feat in a hot and busy kitchen. Once the youngest Executive Chef for Marriott Asia Pacific at 29, he abhors boredom as much as he adores a late night workout. Fernandes plays ball, runs marathons and works out as much as he works in his kitchens creating delicious foods, leading a team of over 200 people.

Chef Dane Fernandes, photographed by Rubina A Khan

“I am leaving for the Westin Nusa Dua on November 9th, and I am hopeful and excited. I’ve always loved embracing cultures and I feel that moving to Bali will be a spiritual awakening of sorts for me, where I will be able to connect with my inner self. I am really looking forward to cooking with the fresh produce in Bali and the quality and range of ingredients that are available in the country. I hope to create new dishes and flavours, mixing Indian and Balinese culinary styles. But what I am looking forward to most is eating authentic Indonesian food,” says Fernandes, who might just take up running through paddy fields by dusk as his daily workout fix over enclosed gyms in Bali.

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©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | NEWS OF THE NEW

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OCTOBER 24, 2023

It’s the last week of October and Diwali is three weeks away, with 2024 on the ascent not far behind. The season is all about celebrating the new with mithais, movies and money – making it and spending it! And when it comes to a new actor debuting in the world of films in India in 2023, Suhana Khan is the first name that comes to mind given she is Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter, the reigning superstar of India. And new films on Diwali are always almost synonymous with Yash Raj Films, this year being no different with Tiger 3 starring the consummate screen pair, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, with Emraan Hashmi. After the colossal worldwide collections of Pathaan (January 2023) and Jawan (September 2023) of over a ₹1,000 crore and ₹1,100 crore respectively, both starring Shah Rukh Khan, YRF is shooting for even more coin with Tiger 3.

MUMBAI: Even before the release of her first film, Archies, Suhana Khan is a recognised face, beloved and adored by the public, landing her a Maybelline New York campaign in April 2023, headlining the brand in India. That she is loved and famous has a lot to with her father being superstar Shah Rukh Khan, but more so for her personable countenance every time she steps out in public. She expresses herself articulately, and is almost always smiling, polite and affable with fans, selfie-seekers and invasive photographers. She wears her father’s fame and name ever so lightly, just as her Papa, and not the monumental celebrity he is. It’s not like she just woke up one day and decided to act for a living because her father is who he is. She seems to have worked steadily and assuredly towards her dreams, graduating from Ardingly College in the UK, in 2019, winning the Russel Cup for Exceptional Contribution To Drama, but of course, given her artistic leanings. She featured in a 10-minute short film, The Grey Part of Blue, which is about a teenager’s experience of unrequited love, directed by Theodore Gimeno in 2019. After school, she went to the Tisch School Of The Arts in New York to study acting and drama. She came back to Mumbai from Tisch, well prepared and ready to start working as a full-time actor. Her first film, Archies, directed by Zoya Akhtar airs on Netflix on December 7th, wherein she plays the brunette Veronica Logde to ginger-haired Archie Andrews played by Agastya Nanda in the fictional town of Riverdale, set in 1960’s India. She looks the part in the teasers and the songs, pirouetting on skates like a poised ballerina. Needless to add, it is the most anticipated film on everyone’s watch list! “I am 5″3 and brown, and I am extremely happy about it and you should be too,” she once wrote on Instagram in September 2020, in a bid to end colorism and today, everyone is happier for the same. Because, Khan is here to stay and play. A new film, where she will be working with her father, to be directed by Sujoy Ghosh, has also been announced in September. The shooting for this untitled thriller starts only in November 2024 and it will be Khan’s first theatrical release.

©Suhana Khan

MUMBAI: Founder and creative director of Primal Gray, a clothing company based in New Delhi, Yuv Bharatram introduced his fashion label to Mumbai’s fashion forwards with a LAP (label awareness party) on Saturday evening. An alumnus of the Shri Ram School in Delhi, founded by the late Manju Bharat Ram in 1988, and owned by his family, the Shri Rams, Bharatram went on to graduate from the Parson’s School of Design in New York 2017. Having worked as an intern and apprentice with many fashion firms, the last being Hermes in Paris, France, in 2019, Bharatram launched Primal Gray in November 2022. The clothes are fun and easy, crafted from conscious materials and priced accordingly. A year on from the launch, he should perhaps look into retailing the Plexi-Glass Dress he made in 2014, with a flower mask made from recycled spoons, the idea of which stands even more poignant today, making it the right climate for avant-garde Indian fashion almost a decade later. “The Plexi-Glass dress was inspired by how people blindly buy and promote brands, buying the most ostentatious items of clothing just to show off the brand. They would rather showcase their wealth over being well-dressed. The dress is a statement of how other people can see through their insecurities, while they remain blind to the fact that people can see through their veil of superiority – the entrapment of the wearer in their prison of branded clothing,” said Bharatram of the 2014 dress. Primal Gray’s garments non-toxic additions to your wardrobe, but in no way is the label responsible for the toxicity of the wearer! The company also makes candles named after cocktails like Cosmopolitan, Espresso Martini and Negroni, to keep your chakras balanced and aligned, should you need to sage away unwanted energies.

Yuv Bharatram, photographed by Rubina A Khan

MUMBAI: The third film in the Yash Raj Films’ Tiger franchise, and the fifth in their ongoing spy universe series, Tiger 3, written by Aditya Chopra and directed by Maneesh Sharma releases on Diwali this year, on November 12. Starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, the consummate screen pair that made the first two films, Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) blockbuster hits, Tiger 3 has Emraan Hashmi playing the principal antagonist. Chopra intends to expand his super spy universe with multiple screen agents coming together like Tiger (Salman Khan) and Pathaan (Shah Rukh Khan) in Pathaan (2023). Tiger 3 traces the events of the agents in Tiger Zinda Hai, War and Pathaan.

©Yash Raj Film

The first song from the film, Leke Prabhu Ka Naam, aired on the YRF Youtube channel on October 23rd, with Katrina Kaif looking bewitchingly fine in it. Tiger 3 is Kaif’s first release of 2023 as also Hashmi’s, marking the latter’s 20th year in the film industry.

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | LIGHTS, CAMERA, DELHI!

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OCTOBER 20, 2023

New Delhi has been courting glamour with the 69th National Film Awards being held at Vigyan Bhawan on October 17th, 2023 and the Netflix series, Fabulous Lives kicking off filming in the capital for its third season next week. The third edition of the series has a new cast from Delhi added to the original cast from Bombay. Haute talk between the Mumbai and Delhi wives? Let the heads roll right into the tea spills!

NEW DELHI: Actors Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon won their first National Award for Best Actress – a joint honour for both with separate trophies of course – at the 69th National Film Awards at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on October 17th, 2023. Bhatt won a very well-deserved award for her portrayal as the self-assured protagonist in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi and as did Sanon for her performance in Laxman Utekar’s Mimi. Sanon and Bhatt received their awards from President Droupadi Murmu, the former wearing a custom Manish Malhotra sari at the felicitation, and the latter, her ivory and gold wedding sari. India’s elegant beauty and legendary actor, Waheeda Rehman was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award at the award ceremony. Interestingly, Allu Arjun made history by becoming the first Telugu actor to receive a National award for Best Actor for his performance in Pushpa: The Rise. 

©Alia Bhatt

NEW DELHI: The third season of the Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives started filming in Mumbai this week with its original cast of the Bombay wives. Next week, it’s Delhi’s turn to take to the lights and cameras. This season of the series will see the glamorous and beautiful Riddhima Kapoor-Sahni, daughter of Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, alongside other Delhi wives added to the mix of the original Bollywood wives. The first and second editions of the Fabulous Lives aired on Netflix in November 2020 and September 2022, with actor Neelam, Bhavna Panday, Seema Sajdeh and Maheep Kapoor headlining the series, and Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan making a coupled cameo. Will we see Ranbir Kapoor make an appearance on the show for his sister? Maybe. There is also talk of Netflix renaming the show to just Fabulous Lives this season as the Delhi wives are not Bollywood wives. It could be very well be called Fabulous Lives Of Glamorous Wives, but then again, not everyone is glamorous or a wife in the cast this season. Glam damn! There’s still time to name it as the series is set to air in the second half of 2024.

©Riddhima Kapoor-Sahni

MUMBAI: Malaika Arora, the Khaleesi of sexy, in body and brain, struts a fashion runway like no other in India. She has been walking the walk for years now, carrying off every imaginable kind of garment with styled and poised ease. No season of fashion week, pret or couture, is complete without her panthera walk. And she definitely knows how to make coin, seducing the cameras with her sharp fashion face. A trained ballerina, Arora danced her way into every Indian’s heart with her graceful moves in Chaiyya Chaiyya atop a moving train in Dil Se, 25 years ago, and her ways and sways have been fire since. She does love the F word when it comes to her investment portfolio – Food, Fashion and Fitness. She has since evolved from dance numbers to crunching fiscal numbers in fashion (The Label Life), fitness (Diva Yoga) and food businesses as an investor and owner.

MUMBAI, INDIA – MAY 06: Malaika Arora attends the Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 Event on May 06, 2023 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)

She celebrates yet another age-defying birthday on October 23rd, making it a very Malaika Monday. Interestingly, she shares her birthday with British actor, Emilia Clarke who played Khaleesi on the Game Of Thrones.

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©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | THE POWER ERAS

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OCTOBER 17, 2023

It’s been a high baller of an October weekend, from New York to Mumbai, both island cities where concrete skyscrapers rise high, but not higher than their corridors of power. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce hard launched their love in styled ease on Sunday night, and on Saturday Night Live in New York, with her Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour that released on October 13th becoming the highest-opening concert film of all time. In Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphatically expressed a desire to host the 2036 Olympics in India at the International Olympic Committee on Friday, October 14th, in the presence of eminent personalities from the worlds of sport, politics and entertainment. It’s just the power eras we live in!

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session at the Jio World Centre in BKC in Mumbai, on October, 14th, 2023. This is the second time India has hosted the IOC after the 86th session was held in New Delhi in 1983, 40 years ago. “India is eager to host the Olympics in the country and will leave no stone unturned in the preparation for the successful organization of the Olympics in 2036. This is the dream of the 140 crore Indians,” said the Prime Minister in his inaugural address. Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee and members of the IOC like Nita Ambani, Abhinav Bindra, Neeraj Chopra, Bajrang Punia, PR Sreejesh, PT Usha, Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone from the worlds of sport, politics and entertainment were in attendance. The Prime Minister also congratulated Team India on their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 win in Ahmedabad stating, “I congratulate Team Bharat and every Indian on this historic victory.”

©Narendra Modi at the 141st International Olympic Committee in Mumbai

NEW YORK: Pop superstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chief’s tight end, Travis Kelce hard launched their love in New York on Saturday night, early Sunday morning. The couple made a surprise appearance, albeit separately, in the sketches, on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, Season 49, on October 14th in New York. Kelce made a cameo at the end of the first sketch, where the SNL cast mocked the NFL for focusing on Swift during the games and Swift introduced the musical guest, Ice Spice, who she’s collaborated with on her song, Karma. This was Swift’s sixth appearance on SNL. After weeks of making football stand appearances with Kelce’s mother, Donna, Swift is now in her official Travis Kelce era as of October 15th, and everyone is making a song about it, except Swift herself, who is known to express herself vividly through her songwriting and music. Her date night Versace corset was very 2017 Reputation-esque, the album that she is yet to re-record. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film made between $95 million to $97 million during its opening weekend, according to the distributor AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc, USA, making it the highest-opening concert film of all time. Interestingly, you can get paid to be a devoted Swiftie given USA Today and the The USA Today Network’s newspaper, The Tennessean, have been actively seeking a uniquely skilled journalist to fill a new role: Taylor Swift reporter, since September 12th. “Swift’s fanbase has grown to unprecedented heights, and so has the significance of her music and growing legacy. We are looking for an energetic writer, photographer and social media pro who can quench an undeniable thirst for all things Taylor Swift with a steady stream of content across multiple platforms,” ran the job post. If the position hasn’t been filled yet, you know where to apply for it as it is a legit paying job!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 15: Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift arrive at SNL Afterparty on October 15, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 15: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have dinner at Waverly Inn on October 15, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)

MUMBAI / ITALY: Straight from 10 Via Carlo Goldoni in Milan to the island of Mumbai, Dolce&Gabbana Beauty is coming to India very soon, but not without their sacred heart. Their fragrances have always been popular with Indians right from the very first one they created in 1992, Pour Femme to The One, Pour Homme, Light Blue and the Dolce collections. D&G will make a fabulous addition to the growing luxury beauty market in the country with their makeup collection of lipsticks, mascaras and illuminating face powders, and, their new fragrance for women, Devotion. The campaign for the Devotion Eau De Parfum is fronted by American singer and songwriter, Katy Perry. The Devotion collection is slated to launch in India by the end of November, early December this year. Founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Dolce&Gabbana presented their first women’s collection in Milan in 1985, with Stefano Gabbana attributing Dolce&Gabbana’s escalating success in menswear over the years to the power of celebrity, especially David Beckham. He said, “David was the start – a hot, straight, family man with kids. He made it possible for men to approach fashion without fear. Men felt if he can do it, I can.”

©Katy Perry, the face of Dolce & Gabbana’s Eau De Parfum, Devotion

©Dolce & Gabbana’s beauty and fragrance from the Devotion collection

They have gone on to turning into ‘the’ Dolce&Gabbana since, but not without their dramatic controversies over the years, one of them causing a major hit to the brand in China. Dolce&Gabbana is still trying to recover in China, a market they had it pretty good in since 2006. And to think all this hellfire for the brand in China started with an Instagram conversation!

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | OF BEAUTIES AND BRANDS

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OCTOBER 13, 2023

India is in the throes of a beauty and fashion brand avalanche in the country, with Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez launching during the summer in June 2023, followed by many more that have launched, and are planning to launch since. But the bigger question here is: When will Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics and Kim Kardashian’s SKKN – all three being coveted celebrity owned and fabulous beauty brands – come to India? Beauty is a business to make money in, especially in India!

MUMBAI / JAPAN: Actor Tamannaah Bhatia’s skin is always in, making her the first Indian brand ambassador for the Japanese cosmetics brand, Shiseido. This ambassadorship in India is a collaboration with Shiseido’s Indian distributor, Baccarose Perfumes & Beauty Products Pvt. Ltd. founded by the late Hemansu Kotecha in 1984, in a landscape nascent of luxury beauty in India. “I am absolutely thrilled to be associated with Shiseido, a brand that has consistently set the standard for excellence in beauty for over a century,” says Bhatia. She makes an excellent poster girl for Shiseido in Asia with her flawless skin and personable countenance. Shiseido was founded in 1872 by Arinobu Fukuhara as Japan’s first Western-style pharmacy in Ginza, Tokyo. Fukuhara, the son of an Eastern herbal medicine doctor, was a trained pharmacist, educated in Western medicine, who rose up the ranks to Chief Pharmacist in the Japanese Navy. The name Shiseido comes from Chinese Yi Jing, the Book of Changes from the Four Books and Five Classics of Confucianism meaning, ‘Praise the virtues of the Earth, which nurtures new life and brings forth significant values.’ Translated into English, Do means ‘house of’, and Shi Sei means ‘where everything is born’. The first non-pharmaceutical product Fukuhara created was a cake of toothpaste in 1888 that sold successfully at eight times the price of regular toothpaste. And 151 years on, Shiseido is not just a global leader in the beauty business with its skincare, makeup and fragrance lines today, it is a lasting legacy of the Japanese visionary. Shiseido’s presence in India so far has only been online via Shopper’s Stop, Parcos, Sephora and Nykaa. But the brand is set to open its first brick and mortar store in India on October 18th, 2023 at the Inorbit Mall in Malad, Mumbai, with their skincare trio regime being unveiled by Tamannaah Bhatia.

Tamannaah Bhatia ©Shiseido India

MUMBAI: A fresh-faced beauty from Juhu, Paloma, made her debut as an actor and not a star, in a film called Dono last Friday. And I say this because Paloma can act, and not everyone from the Juhu zip code in Mumbai can! She did not break character for a nano-second with her succinct and able performance in her portrayal of a regular working girl dealing with a red flag of an ex boyfriend in the film. Her zephyr-like body language and her perfectly made-up face (big ups to her makeup artist) express the emotions of her character in a manner most beguiling. Her dialogue delivery is well-timed and she speaks Hindi clearly, without any affected accents and pretentious colloquialisms like some of her ilk. I see Paloma making big strides in acting roles in films and headlining fashion and beauty campaigns in India with her arresting eyes and lithe body. Though what I’d really like to see her in is in a gripping Netflix series because that will make her shine internationally. Daughter of the beauteous actor, Poonam Dhillon and film producer Ashok Thakeria, Paloma has done the work that goes into the making of an actor, and if she keeps honing her innate acting skills, stardom will be hers.

©Paloma

MUMBAI: NARS Cosmetics launched in India on October 10, 2023 with its bestselling Cruella Velvet Matte lips, Tinted Moisturizers, Light Reflecting Collections and so much more just an “Add to cart” away for Indians. “Don’t be so serious, it’s only makeup” said François Nars, the founder and creative director of NARS Cosmetics. But who should know better than Nars, a makeup artist and photographer, that beauty is a serious billion dollar business that’s been making him coin since he founded NARS Cosmetics in 1994. NARS Cosmetics started with twelve lipsticks created by Nars, that were sold at Barneys New York and has gone on to create multi-use beauty and skin products since. Born in Tarbes in the South of France, Nars assisted some of the top makeup artists in Paris, and graduated from the Carita Makeup school in Paris subsequently. He worked with fashion’s very best – the legendary photographer Steven Meisel and hairstylist Oribe Canales when he moved to New York in 1984.

©Nars

NARS Cosmetics is a subsidiary of Shiseido since 2000 after it was sold to the Japanese company, but Nars remains the artistic director, copywriter and in-house photographer for the brand he created.

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | YOU’RE DOING AMAZING SWEET AND GREEN MUMBAI!

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OCTOBER 10, 2023

There’s always something new happening in Mumbai. And when it’s sweet and delicious like cupcakes and macarons and green like forests, the only way to describe it is by saying, “You’re doing amazing, sweet and green Mumbai!” like Kris Jenner would. Except Jenner had said “You’re doing amazing sweetie” to her daughter Kim Kardashian posing for a Playboy magazine shoot, circa 2007 – a cult sentence in pop culture since.

MUMBAI: New York’s Magnolia Bakery is finally opening in Bandra, Mumbai on November 1st, 2023, five years after marking its sweet presence in India. Magnolia first opened in Bangalore in November 2019, expanding to four locations in the city since, and opened its fifth outpost in Hyderabad in November 2022. The first Magnolia Bakery was opened by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey in New York in 1996, but went on to change a few hands in its ownership over the years. Magnolia Bakery’s delicious cupcakes and frosted desserts became so popular that it started the cupcake craze in the 90s, with starring pop cultural mentions in the hit television series, Sex And The City and the film, The Devil Wears Prada, and many other film and television shows. The mention of the bakery on an episode of Sex And The City gave it immediate fame, so much so that it became a tour bus stop in New York. Magnolia’s first outpost outside the US was opened in Dubai in 2010, followed by one in Abu Dhabi in the UAE and in countries like Qatar, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and of course, India. Since 2021, Magnolia is owned by a private equity firm co-founded by Hudson Yards developer, Stephen Ross. I have only ever had Magnolia in New York, so bring on the deliciousness!

©Magnolia Bakery, New York

MUMBAI: The 161-year-old French patisserie, Ladurée Paris is also opening in Mumbai at the Jio World Plaza Mall in November, around Diwali, to make the festivities in the city even sweeter. Headquartered in Paris, France, Ladurée is an ambassador of Parisian macarons with their exquisite pastry art. Ladurée Paris first opened in India about two years ago in New Delhi’s Khan Market in September 2021. In 1862, Louis-Ernest Ladurée opened a bakery called Maison Ladurée in La Madeleine, but had to reinvent it as a pastry shop following a fire in the Paris Commune uprising in 1871. The Parisian macaron, as we know it today, was created by Parisian pastry chef, Pierre Desfontaines, second cousin of the creator of Maison Ladurée, who had the ingenious idea of ​​assembling two macaron shells, with a tasty ganache. And voila, the beloved double decker macaron came into existence. It is said that 15000 Ladurée macarons are sold everyday around the world, and the sales in Mumbai will definitely add to that count. 2023 is the year Ladurée celebrates and honours Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, also known as Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, with a macaron called Eugénie. Can’t wait to try the Eugénie macaron with a crunchy biscuit and a melting centre coated in chocolate, and my forever favourite, the Barre Chocolat.

Laduree’s Barre Chocolat photographed by Rubina A Khan

MUMBAI: The Indian Hotels Company Limited opened a new hotel in Mumbai, Taj The Trees, in Pirojshanagar, Vikhroli on September 19th, 2023. Spread over eight acres in the eastern suburb of Vikhroli along the Eastern Express Highway, Taj The Trees has views of the Mangrove Forest on one end and a Sculpture Park on the other. The hotel has 140 rooms and 11 suites, a spa and wellness centre with an infinity pool and 3 restaurants – Shamiana, Nonya and a rooftop bar on the 12th floor, The Mangrove Bar. Taj The Trees is the coming together of two of India’s greatest business legacies for the first time – the Tata Group and the Godrej Group. The hotel is owned by Godrej Properties and is managed by the Indian Hotel Companies as a luxury Taj hotel. Pirojsha Godrej, Executive Chairperson at Godrej Properties said, “We are happy to open our first hotel, Taj The Trees, in partnership with the Tata Group, as we aim to deliver quality and sustainable luxury in a green, connected, and vibrant neighbourhood.” The green mangrove trees and the languid shoreline make for great visuals in a city where the skyline is dominated with concrete towers and buildings. It remains to be seen what kind of efforts and policies have been adopted and adapted by IHCL towards making this a green forward hotel, aside from glass water bottles and linen changes that are the bare minimum in every luxury hotel worldwide. Taj The Trees is quite a tongue-twister, so T3 is what I think it will soon be called, not to be mistaken as a new airport terminal in Mumbai though. Along with the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Wellington Mews, Taj Land’s End and Taj Santacruz, Taj The Trees is the fifth hotel under the Taj brand to open in Mumbai.

©Taj The Trees

It is rather unimaginable to think of Mumbai as green, where grey concrete is a defining colour, but the idea of waking up to verdant forest views feels calming and energising.

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©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | OCTOBER HIGHS

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OCTOBER 6, 2023

In India, October heralds the celebratory season of shimmer and shine, with odes to the divine. October is Bachchan month for me, as the superstar turns 81 on October 11th this year. The Indian SS24 fashion week starts on October 11th to October 15th 2023 in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan even as Paris Fashion Week closed the international season of the Big Four on October 3rd, 2023.

LONDON: Artist Ambika Hinduja-Macker and businesswoman Sangita Jindal, two Indian women will take centre stage at the Victoria and Albert museum in London with the unveiling of Harmony Of Nature – A Concerto Of Art, come October 18th. Hinduja-Macker has envisioned and created a piano in glistening shades of champagne and gold, made of bronze, privately commissioned by Jindal. This is her first independent work of art to be exhibited and that too at the V&A. It is to be seen and heard, live! This evening sounds like it will be music to one’s ears and an artistic sight to behold. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be gracing the cocktail evening, alongside London’s minted and intelligentsia.

Ambika Hinduja-Macker photographed by Rubina A Khan

PARIS / MUMBAI: Christian Louboutin unveiled his Spring Summer 2024 collection at the Grand Amphitheatre of La Sorbonne in Paris during Paris Fashion Week SS24 on September 28th, with The Loubi Show. The show was an amalgamation of human artistry and technological wizardry, with Belgian–Moroccan artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui choreographing the live performances. Cherkaoui is known for his collaborations with some of the best theatres in the world, including the Paris Opera Ballet, and global artists like Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. The world’s first bionic pop star, Viktoria Modesta, wearing custom Louboutins, opened the show alongside sixteen talented performers that moved through a series of contemporary dances on a musical interpretation of an Arabic love poem, celebrating the designer’s Egyptian heritage. The Loubi Show was red haute with a lot of heart and fiery soles! Hot off the heels of The Loubi Show, Louboutin will be showcasing a special India Wedding Edit on October 20th, 2023 with 18 pieces at the flagship store in Fort in Mumbai with a collection that speaks to bold gold dominance.

Louboutin’s Astrilarge boots (L) and Christian Louboutin (R) photographed by Rubina A Khan

MUMBAI: Nita Ambani, Director of Reliance Industries Limited, is hosting a fashion show on Tuesday, October 31st, showcasing the works of multiple Indian designers at the launch of the new Jio World Plaza luxury mall. Situated within RIL’s extensive $1 billion business and cultural core, the Jio World Centre in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai, Jio World Plaza will house luxury brands like Dior, Hermes, Cartier, Gucci, Balenciaga, Tiffany, Bottega Veneta, Versace, Burberry and Rimowa. The fashion show is slated to exhibit the designs of India’s finest designers that Reliance Brands Limited has a stake in, to over 2000 guests in attendance at the gala. Given it is also Halloween on the day, there might be some sightings of Halloween costumery on the red carpet. The first fashion show ever held at the Jio World Centre was Manish Malhotra’s bridal showing on July 29th, 2022 with two of Bollywood’s most popular actors, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, walking the show with the best struts and poise.

Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Manish Malhotra photographed by Rubina A Khan

And, there’s more to come!

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©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | INDIAN COUTURE IS BEING SERVED HAUTE, WORLDWIDE!

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OCTOBER 3, 2023

2023 is the year of fashion for India and the growing presence of Indian designers and models at Paris Fashion Week only confirms that Indian high fashion is being served haute, worldwide! Paris Fashion Week is a powerful and dominant player in the haute couture stakes that determines and forecasts fashion industry trends. Fashion shows have been taking place in Paris since 1945, but Paris Fashion Week was only launched in October 1973 by the French Fashion Federation.

2023 commenced with The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode Paris (FHCM) inviting Indian designer, Gaurav Gupta to the Paris haute couture calendar, where he showcased Shunya, his SS23 debut showing at Paris Haute Couture Week at the Palais de Tokyo on India’s Republic Day. The collection, with the deep indigo blues and stark blacks, whites and grey, had the world lauding his genius that’s intrinsically Indian, yet imaginatively international in style and spirit. And he followed it up with his AW24 showing, Hiranyagarbha with a fresh, popping green in Paris in July.

Dior marched into India with a majestic Pre Fall 2023 show, an ode to the exquisite hand artistries and the rich textiles and colours of India by Dior’s Creative Director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, at the Gateway of India on March 30. The show’s scale, grandeur and execution in India were unparalleled, and in step with Dior’s new landmark energy, with FRF flying in for one of the biggest shows to be held in India, including Delphine Arnault, who made her first appearance in Mumbai after being appointed Dior’s Chairwoman and CEO in February, 2023.

The launch of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) on the first day of April in Mumbai was a veritable runway, showcasing the best of Indian fashion and Indian designers for three straight days. Almost everyone at the launch wore an Indian designer, but it was Gigi Hadid in an Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla sari who was the cynosure of all eyes with her ‘Golden Goddess in India’ energy.

August has got to be the most important month this year for Indian design with Beyonce wearing Gaurav Gupta thrice on her highest grossing Renaissance tour. She wore a bespoke Infinity Crystal Bodysuit in North Carolina, the Athena Sari gown in Atlanta and the Moondust Crystal Orbit gown in Atlanta again on August 15th, both of which were from his AW 24 Hiranyagarbha collection. Beyonce is releasing a film, Renaissance World Tour, that hits theatres on December 1st, documenting her ‘very liberating’ tour from its beginnings in Stockholm, Sweden on May 10th, 2023 to its conclusion on October 1st, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. It goes without saying that Gupta’s designs will be watched on the big screen by another pool of Beyonce fans, making fashion history not just for himself, but for the Indian design and craftsmanship fraternity. He is the only Indian designer that has been accepted by the world for his modern Indian and Western silhouettes. Who’d have thought Beyonce would wear a Gaurav Gupta sari gown on tour? No one, yet she did. Indian representation at its finest!

Beyoncé (wearing Gaurav Gupta) performs onstage during the “RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR” at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 11, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood)

Indian designers have been expanding their businesses with prominent Indian investors like Reliance Brands Limited (RBL) and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) and opening more stores across the country and overseas. And those that are not opening internationally are retailing through department stores around the world. The first quarter of the year saw Anita Dongre opening her largest store in Mumbai in Kala Ghoda on February 4th, followed by Gaurav Gupta on March 3rd, Shantanu and Nikhil on March 17th and Sabyasachi on April 16th – all in the Kala Ghoda district. Anita Dongre was the first Indian designer to open a flagship store in New York in May 2018, which was followed by her first store in Dubai this March and a second one on West Broadway in New York in May. Manish Malhotra is set to open his first international store in Dubai in December. The Middle East can’t get enough of him after Rekha’s fire and desire Vogue Arabia cover, a first for an Indian, looking resplendent and ethereal wearing his designs and jewellery. It’s a historical Indian cover and a collectible at that, given she did one after 15 years. Never has an Indian actor on the cover of a foreign fashion magazine created such a blitzkrieg around the world with the clothes, the quintessential Kanjeevarams, styling and jewellery. And, her flawless face! You can’t read her even if you know every language in the world because Rekha only speaks Rekha, but you could see the Rekha you wanted to in the majestic Indian clothes, as could the world.

And as Indian designers seek foreign presence, international luxury brands are reciprocating the fervour by vying for real estate to mark their presence in India, with Parisian department store, Galeries Lafayette, scoring a great location in Fort, Mumbai. Lafayette is being brought to Mumbai by the Aditya Birla group and hopes to open in the city 2024. The Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) has also incorporated a new company in partnership with Christian Louboutin SAS (CL) in India, making it a fantastic addition to their fashion portfolio in the country.

From the days of Gandhi giving us khadi, Indian designers have moved into the haute couture era of Indian fashion around the world with exquisite and incomparable Indian craftsmanship and handiwork. Every luxury brand is handmade in India, but Made In India is never mentioned on the labels. Well, the time has come when Indians do not need the validation of a mere label because Indian designers are telling the world what Made In India stands for in design, vision, aesthetic and craftsmanship. And they are are being worn around the globe.

All the talk of millennials and zillennials will come to nought if they are not bought, but I see Indian designers turning their millions into billions very soon.

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

The Khmer People Are The Happiest In The World And They Live In The Kingdom Of Cambodia

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The Khmer Empire founded by Khmer prince, Jayavarman II, has gone through many kings, atrocities and names in its war ravaged history – Kambuja, Kampuchea, Cambodge to the Kingdom of Cambodia as we know it today. Jayavarman II made it the most dominant civilisation in mainland Southeast Asia from the 9th to the mid-15th century, and he is widely regarded as the king that set the foundation of the Angkor period in Cambodian history, beginning with the grandiose consecration ritual he conducted in 802 on Mount Mahendraparvata, now known as Phnom Kulen, wherein he was proclaimed a universal monarch – Kamraten jagad ta Raja in Khmer or God King.

Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom (Photo by Rubina A. Khan)

The most remarkable legacy of the Khmer empire is the ancient archaeological wonder, the Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The Angkor Wat temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II, in the first half of the 12th century, around the year 1110-1150 CE, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Built almost 900 years ago in the Khmer architectural style of temple mountain and galleried temple, Angkor Wat, one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, took over 30 years to build and it is the largest religious site in the world, measuring over 400 acres. Dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu initially, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century and considered a Hindu-Buddhist temple thereon.

Angkor Wat (Photo by Rubina A. Khan)

History, religions and temple statistics aside, the Khmer people are the happiest and kindest in the world, despite what they went through in the annals of history. It is no wonder that Angelina Jolie loves Cambodia and adopted the country that changed her life the minute she stepped into the energy fields of the Khmer people back in 2000 whilst shooting for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. What better way to know how wonderful and lovely the Khmers are than visit their country, starting with Siem Reap, and experience their genuine smiles under the spiritual sun yourself?

Here is a list of the How To’s to plan a trip to Cambodia from India:

VISA:
The Kingdom of Cambodia offers a Visa On Arrival for Indian tourists with a valid Indian passport for $30 at the Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville international airports. The Single Entry visa is valid for a month from the date of arrival into the country. It takes five minutes to procure the visa at the Siem Reap International airport. You can also apply for an E visa on the Kingdom of Cambodia’s website: https://www.evisa.gov.kh/

FLIGHTS:
There are no direct flights to Cambodia from India as of August 2023. The only way to fly to Cambodia from India is on Singapore Airlines with a short layover of an hour at Changi Airport or via Bangkok on multiple Indian and international airlines that also include airport changes. India has direct flights to nine of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries comprising of Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, except Cambodia. Cambodian ambassador to India, Koy Kuong, stated on August 26th, 2023 that a direct flight from New Delhi to Cambodia is on the cards in early 2024.

CURRENCY:
The Cambodian Riel (KHR) is the national currency of Cambodia, but the United States Dollar (USD) is widely used in the country. When you transact in dollars, be prepared to receive change in KHR almost every time.

TIME DIFFERENCE:
Cambodia is 1 hour and 30 minutes ahead of Indian Standard Time. The time difference will hit you, and real hard, when you wake up at 4AM in Siem Reap, which is 2:30AM in India to go see the Angkor Wat at sunrise, on foot.

LANGUAGES:
People speak Khmer and English in Cambodia.

CLIMATE:
Barring the winter season that runs from November to February, Cambodia’s 32°C feels like 42°C especially when you’re walking for 45 minutes under the blue skies to get to the entrance of the temples and then climbing up precariously uneven and steep steps to go inside them.

GETTING AROUND:
The remorks or tuktuks and bicycles are the best way to get around in Cambodia, especially in Siem Reap, with chilled coolers holding cold water and face towels handed to you by friendly drivers.

CUISINE:
Delicious Khmer cuisine and every kind of food from around the world. From vegan to vegetarian to gourmet to street to patisseries, Cambodia has it all, in particular Siem Reap.

CAMBODIAN FLAG:
Out of all 195 countries in the world, Cambodia is the only one that features a building on their flag – the Angkor Wat symbolizing justice, integrity, and heritage.

I will write about the places to eat and stay, and the temples and things to do in Siem Reap subsequently.

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author.

©Rubina A Khan 2023