Tag: Dior

RUBINA’S RADAR | LUXURY IS A FEELING

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NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Fashion is a luxury, but luxury is not necessarily fashion, simply because luxury is not all materialistic and worldly; it’s spiritualistic too. Luxury is not always what you can buy, but also what you can feel. Silence and quiet in the morning is as much a luxury as buying a jet, sleeping and waking up without fear, speaking your mind, wearing runway couture, choosing to love who you want to, buying a mansion, sharing your private time or going on a bespoke holiday – these are all life’s luxuries that we choose to indulge in of our own volition. A rooftop swim past midnight under the stars at The Dorchester Collection’s first property in the Middle East, The Lana, with the Dubai skyline adding more shimmer to the night, is just the kind of luxury money can buy, and the soul can feel. The Lana opens in Dubai in February 2024 and it is going to be the hottest luxury hotel opening of the year because the Dorchester Collection hotels are always beyond cool.

DUBAI: The Lana is the 10th Dorchester Collection hotel that will open in February 2024 in Dubai where water, land and sky will converge with humans in luxurious, manmade excellence. A waterfront location with definitive modern architecture in the Marasi Drive, The Lana’s infinity-edge, rooftop pool with a bar, has stunning views of the adjacent marina facing the Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai. Comprising of 225 guest rooms and suites, with showstopping balconies, you can watch the changing landscape around you from sunrise to dusk. “Inspired by the bold spirit of Dubai, my team and I are thrilled to be opening Dorchester Collection’s first hotel in the Middle East. We look forward to offering you a truly exceptional experience, crafted with the utmost care,” says Richard Alexander, General Manager of The Lana. One cannot think of a London without The Dorchester and 45, Park Lane, Los Angeles without The Beverly Hills and the Bel Air, Paris sans the geranium dotted façade of The Plaza Athenee and Le Meurice, Italy without Hotel Eden Rome and Principe Di Savoia, or the beautiful English countryside without Coworth Park in Ascot. Each one of these beautiful Dorchester Collection hotels is iconic, luxurious and glamourous, shaping the histories of the cities they’re located in, and being a part of history in people’s memories. These hotels have played architectural parts in films and Netflix series and are stars in themselves, such is the indomitable presence of all nine Dorchester Collection hotels in the world of luxury, with The Lana all set to create its own history in the Middle East with a Marhaba Dubai! I think the Dorchester Collection hotels are architectural actors really, representing the past and present of their cities and more importantly, their people.

©The Lana, Dubai

SWEDEN: H&M is a forerunner in the world of fashion collaborations with the late Karl Lagerfeld being their very first partnership in November 2004, followed by Versace, Comme des Garçons, Balmain, Maison Margiela, Stella McCartney and Sabyasachi over the years. H&M is ready to drop its second designer collaboration of the year with Rabanne online and in stores, on November 9th, 2023, the first being with Mugler in May 2023. Paco Rabanne, the fashion label, known only as Rabanne as of 2023, was founded in Paris in 1966 by Spaniard, Paco Rabanne, whose real name was Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo. The 1966 debut show of Paco Rabanne in Paris, with a collection called Manifesto: 12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials, made of metal plaques and organic plastic linked with wires, was shown on black and white models, who walked barefoot as he could not afford to buy shoes for them. An original fashion anarchist, the show earned him fame with art collector Peggy Guggenheim buying and wearing his creations. Rabanne was also known for his fragrances – Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, 1 Million and Lady Million that are immensely popular to the day. He was awarded the Legion of Honour by France’s minister of culture, Frederic Mitterrand in November 2010, with Mitterrand highlighting Rabanne’s early work, especially his Manifesto collection during the ceremony. Rabanne was acquired in 1987 by Puig, a Spanish fashion and fragrance company, with Julien Dossena reimagining the textile alternative design language of the maison since 2013 as its creative director. “As a designer, I’ve always been interested in exploring hedonism and empowerment. I was very enthusiastic to work with H&M on a collection that will introduce Rabanne’s avant-garde energy to a wider audience in a democratic way,“ says Dossena of the H&M collection that includes womenswear, menswear, shoes and accessories, and a capsule home décor line. In the 60s, Rabanne’s metal couture was met with disparaging rebuke and today, almost 60 years on, metal couture is a haute step forward in sustainable fashion.

Jared Leto, Damson Idris, Irina Shayk, Julien Dossena, Creative Director of Paco Rabanne,
Elle Fanning and H&M Creative Director Ann-Sofie Johansson.

WORLD: The ongoing strife between Israel and Palestine for the siege of Gaza marks a month today, with horrific loss and devastation all around in both countries since October 7th. Christian Dior seems to have replaced Palestinian-Dutch model, Bella Hadid with May Tager, an Israeli model, in their new holiday beauty campaign. There is no official statement from Dior on the replacement, if that holds true, or if Tager is another beauty ambassador alongside Hadid and many more. Hadid, a beauty ambassador for Dior since 2016, has never shied away from vocalizing her thoughts on Palestine over the years. She is very aware and cognizant that her advocacy for Palestine could jeopardize her modelling career, but she has stood firm in her stance and beliefs to honour her roots. Hadid’s father, Mohammed Hadid, an American real estate developer born in Nazareth, Palestine, was married to her mother, Yolanda van den Herik, a Dutch model and television personality, born in Papendrecht, Netherlands, from 1994 to 2000.

Bella Hadid

The worldwide ramifications of the war between Israel and Palestine remain to be seen in the days and months to come, with over 10,000 people killed since October 7th, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah. As the war rages on and the world watches history being written, it is humanity that is being written off the Earth rather tragically.

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author. The © ahead of a name is the copyright of the subject in the photograph and not shot by Rubina A Khan.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

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!

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author. The © ahead of a name is the copyright of the subject in the photograph and not shot by Rubina A Khan.

©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

Christian Dior’s Pre Fall 2023 Fashion Show At The Gateway Of India In Mumbai

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The Dior Pre-Fall 2023 show held at the historic Gateway of India in Mumbai, on March 30th, 2023, was an ode to the exquisite hand artistries and the rich textiles and colours of India by Dior’s Creative Director, Maria Grazia Chiuri. Dior’s affinity with India and its craftsmen dates back to its founder Monsieur Dior, to Marc Bohan to Chiuri now. Overlooking the Arabian Sea, dotted with ferry boats, the 26 metre high and 15 metre wide basalt Gateway of India constructed in the Indo-Islamic architectural style, turned its 99-year-old vintage self into the Diorway to fashion in a manner most extraordinaire on Thursday night. The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the arrival of the Emperor India, George V and Mary of Teck, Empress consort, at Apollo Bunder, Bombay on December 2nd, 1911, the first visit of a British monarch to India. The protected monument has been the very essence of the island city, ever since it was inaugurated almost a century ago on December 4th, 1924. Dior’s pre-fall 2023 showing had 99 styles on 23 models from India, 33 Indian models with international backgrounds and 43 international models. Interestingly, 99 was the glorious number of the night.

The show’s scale, grandeur and execution in India were unparalleled, and in step with Dior’s new landmark energy, taking over the facade of Harrods in London in November 2022 to the men’s pre-fall show at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt in December 2022. With the Gateway show, Dior set a new criterion for luxury brands that have a presence in India, and those that are interested in coming to India.

The Dior show in Mumbai had everyone talking around the world, even before the house announced the same on March 14th. And once it was confirmed, the word Dior was heard every day and everywhere, such was the excitement in the city, and country. It was akin to Bombay being dressed up as a bride for its French groom to arrive on March 30th for the wedding of the year! The Dior teams were in residence in the city a week prior, at the Taj Palace Mumbai, which is a mere 280 metres from the venue. Imagine being in walking distance of a fashion show of this magnitude, and the afterparty too – that’s the palace of Mumbai – the Taj Palace for you. The show had Rekha, Christian Louboutin, Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Pierre Casigrahi, Beatrice Borromeo, Simone Ashley, Jeff Koons, Apo Nattawin Wattanagitiphat, Mile Phakphum Romsaithong, and accomplished people from around the world, in attendance. The show also marked the presence of Delphine Arnault, who made her first appearance since being appointed Dior’s Chairwoman and CEO in February, 2023.

Founded by Christian Dior in December 1946, the eponymous French luxury fashion house headquartered at 30, Avenue Montaigne in Paris, France, was acquired by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in April 2017 in a $13.1 billion deal by Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company today.

Here are some photos of the Dior Pre Fall 2023 runway, arrivals and the venue, shot by me:

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 | FROM RED SOLED LOUBOUTINS IN NEW YORK TO THE CANNES RED CARPET IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA

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RUBINA’S RADAR 

Fashion’s boldest bodies and brains know how to work the fiery haute month of May, especially on the French Riviera. The 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France is on fire, the summer temperatures notwithstanding, with beautiful and glamorous women walking the red carpet in breathtaking couture and bespoke jewels at the world’s biggest playground for photo-ops. Cannes is truly all about women, with men in tuxes running behind them, holding up their dresses and patting and settling them down to picture perfection. And what’s the most photographed fashion parade in the world without a wardrobe malfunction, inadvertent or otherwise? Day one saw Bella Hadid in a champagne Alexandre Vauthier gown with an underwear flash that was blinding. Eating an icecream cone in the gown after her red carpet strut, cemented Hadid’s nonchalance at the gaffe, that seemed more designed, than accidental. The red silk “barely there” gown, by Vauthier again, that she carried off so elegantly on the red carpet last year, clung on to her like second skin, with no slip up. That’s the reason Hadid stole the show primarily because nothing happened to the dress that everyone thought, or was hoping rather, would fall off her, and it pushed the fledgling model’s career forward the way it was orchestrated to. Just like this year’s “malfunction”.

Bollywood’s most poised actor, Deepika Padukone made an absolutely stunning debut at Cannes this year as part of L’oreal’s international glam girl squad. On opening gala night, Padukone looked fresh and completely at ease as she worked the red carpet statuesquely in a jewel-toned Marchesa gown with a seductive glimpse of her derrière and legs through the sheer of the fabric, for the screening of Ismael’s Ghosts (Les Fantomes d’Ismael). The following day, she wore a dark green Brandon Maxwell one-shoulder gown with a thigh-high slit for Loveless (Nelyubov) and Wonderstruck. With bold green eye makeup, green velvet heels, and her hair in an updo, it was impossible not to love her chic style, despite being head-to-toe in one solid colour.

Bella Hadid attends the Ismael’s Ghosts (Les Fantomes d’Ismael) screening and Opening Gala during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2017 in Cannes, France
Deepika Padukone attends the ‘Nelyobov (Loveless)’ screening during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 18, 2017 in Cannes, France
Deepika Padukone attends the ‘Nelyobov (Loveless)’ screening during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 18, 2017 in Cannes, France
Deepika Padukone attends the Ismael’s Ghosts (Les Fantomes d’Ismael) screening and Opening Gala during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2017 in Cannes, France
Deepika Padukone attends the Ismael’s Ghosts (Les Fantomes d’Ismael) screening and Opening Gala during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2017 in Cannes, France

Cannes’ most beautiful habit for the last fifteen years, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan seems to have gotten her fashion game on this time around. She pleased everyone, well almost, as she walked the red carpet in an icy blue Michael Cinco ball gown from his Impalpable Dream of Versailles collection, looking effortlessly flawless! But interestingly, about two weeks ago, Cinco, a Dubai based designer with an atelier in the Dubai Design District, was in fittings with the Swarovski heiress and singer, Victoria Swarovski for the same dress in the exact same colour, so it wasn’t exactly a couture debut on the Bollywood star. Though, Bachchan took Cinco’s creation from mere princess level to Disney queen, if there ever was one in the fairytale kingdom of dreams. Her daughter Aaradhya must have loved seeing her looking like a beautiful Elsa in the ball gown. Bachchan was definitely in a royal state of mind given her wardrobe choices thereafter, with her engine red Ralph & Russo gown on day four of the fest. It was just another red dress with frills and stones, with a clumsy fit on the sides, sans any custom couture attributes, aside from the famous face wearing it.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attends the ‘Okja’ screening during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2017 in Cannes, France
attends the “120 Beats Per Minute (120 Battements Par Minute)” screening during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 20, 2017 in Cannes, France.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attends the ‘Okja’ screening during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2017 in Cannes, France

While in New York, Fern Mallis the award-winning creator and organiser of New York Fashion Week and now a Director of the Fashion Institute of Technology Foundation, interviewed Paris based shoe designer, Christian Louboutin. The conversation took place at the prestigious 92nd Street Y on Wednesday, May 17th, for her Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis ticketed series. Needless to add, it was a sold out event that was live streamed as it always is, for those who want to listen in. This conversation will undoubtedly find its place in Mallis’ second edition of her first book, Fashion Lives: Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis, published by Rizzoli in April 2015. It was a marvellous interaction between Mallis and the shoes designer of Egyptian and Lebanese descent, wherein he talked about his soul, and his famous red soles.

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Christian Louboutin and Fern Mallis | Photo: Michael Priest Photography

Expelled from school at age 16, Louboutin went to work as an intern at the famed Parisian cabaret Folies Bergère and did odd jobs for the dancers, but the one that fulfilled his dream was making shoes for them, he told Mallis. “I was all about shoes; I was not about fashion. I had cinema and music but not fashion. When I first started I wanted to design shoes for showgirls. But it was a very good way to learn about shoes because for showgirls, they’re very important. They have very little costumes in general, so shoes are a strength, a weapon, a posture,” he said. He was curious why all the dancers ate veal carpaccio, and he was told by them, “You’re so stupid. We’re not eating it. We’re putting it in the shoes,” rolling it up for cushioning, explained Louboutin.

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Christian Louboutin and Fern Mallis | Photo: Michael Priest Photography

At 18, an interview at Christian Dior led him to an internship with Charles Jourdan in the early 80s, wherein he learnt about the business of shoes, followed by design stints at Yves St Laurent, Chanel and Maud Frizon. Along with two of his friends, he opened the first store in Paris in October 1991, with $150,000, including the price of the lease. Louboutin found the inspiration for his trademark red soles in 1993 in red nail paint. The inspiration he describes as “a courtesan living out her life in a circus” turned his surrealistically beautiful shoes into an international success story. Known for his sky-high heels, he thinks flat shoes can be sexy, as proven by the legendary French actress Brigitte Bardot. He went on to tell Mallis that his “Love” flats were created after he saw a photo of Prince Charles staring at Princess Diana’s size 42 shoes.

Today Louboutin also has his own beauty line of nail polishes and lipsticks. “You have to give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. The red sole, which is my trademark and a sign of my ambition, started with the nail polish. It’s nice to remember in your flesh exactly where you started,” he said.

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©Rubina A Khan 2017