A model wearing a dress from Jasmine Boutique’s collection, which will be on display at the New Year’s Eve gala at Sothea Hotel.

The finale of the plush Sothea Hotel’s Christmas with a difference – a woman’s Christmas – will be held tonight with Christmas carols by the children of the Cambodia Orphan Fund, a group focused on alleviating poverty through education. This will be followed by a documentary presentation in support of Anjali House, an organisation which teaches local children photographic skills to hone innate talents.

Photographs by these young artists will be on display at Chatra, the resort’s main restaurant. All month the hotel has been featuring Silk Revival, an exhibit by Artisans d’Angkor which launched on December 5. Live silk weaving and silk painting are showcased daily from 9am to 5pm, and samples of hand woven silk garments are displayed in the resort’s gallery.

New Year’s Eve will be an extension of this, with a $100 plus gala dinner and fashion show called Silk, featuring the chic collection of Jasmine Boutique, which was founded in 2001 by Australian designers Kellianne Karatau and Cassandra McMillan.

The resort’s courtyard will be turned into a stage where mannequins garbed in Jasmine Boutique’s silk dresses will parade. The show will be directed by people from F Magazine and will double as the fashion magazine’s official launch in Siem Reap.