Fashion Shop Until You Drop in Cambodia Part 1
Cambodia Can Furnish a Complete Chic New Wardrobe for Just Pennies!
Mar 8, 2009
The sky is the limit for a Cambodian shopping holiday provided travelers budget a few extra days for legions of tailors, designers and handicrafts experts to turn their desires into finished products.
Although Cambodia shrugged off colonial rule in the 1950's, the French influence remains strong when it comes to fashion, and tailors are on every street corner in the main centers, and in every market.
A visit to the Olympic Market in Phnom Penh or the many fabric stalls which ring its exterior reveals literally hundreds of types of fabrics as well as trimmings, buttons and other necessities.
The popular Russian Market is another good place for fabrics, and particularly silk. To check the quality of the silk, take a thread and burn it. If it shrivels, it means there is polyester in it, which in itself can provide quite beautiful colors and textures, but means the cost per meter should be less than for pure silk.
In Siem Reap, several organizations are teaching silk weaving to women living in difficult circumstances, and boutiques around Psar Chas (the Old Market) are good places to browse for the kingdom's world famous raw silk, which unlike Chinese silk is rougher in texture and often colored using natural dyes.
Cambodia Teems With Tailors and Boutiques
Shoppers will often be offered the services of a tailor by the shop or stall they are purchasing the materials from, or look up the Cambodia Yellow Pages to find nearly 350 tailors to choose from – and those are only the ones listed.
Expatriates are also very good sources of information on good tailors. For many expats, having clothes custom tailored is as natural as going to the supermarket due to the miniscule costs involved.
Taking in a picture or drawing of the desired style to the chosen tailor can result in a perfect copy, or better still take that favorite garment and leave it with the tailor to copy from.
Various tailors specialize in various crafts, however, so shop around and try to see an example of previous work. Some may be wonderful at trousers and pants but hopeless at dresses and skirts – asking for advice on local expat blogs such as Expat-Advisory.com before arriving in Cambodia can yield some good recommendations.
Boutiques are another good alternative for those looking for a unique style but unwilling to deal with tailors or who just don't have the time to wait.
Some highly thought of boutiques, such as Ambre, offer the same styles in high quality silk in its Cambodian outlets that it does in its European store, but for a fraction of the price. Other high-end boutiques popular with fashionistas include Bliss and Coleurs D'Asie.
Handmade Shoes for a Song
While waiting for the tailor to go to work, pop into one of the string of shoemakers such as Beautiful Shoes on Street 143 in Phnom Penh, just around the corner from the Toul Sleng Museum.
Bring a picture of a desired style or an old pair of shoes to copy or browse the many ready-made pairs on offer. The staff will then draw an outline of the customer's foot in pen and hurry away to begin work. Each of these shops is owned by members of the same family, so prices and standards are fairly uniform.
Custom hand-made closed toe leather shoes cost around 15USD, and styles range all the way up to knee high boots. The owners recommend customers allow a minimum of seven days before the shoes are ready. One golden rule about Cambodian craftsmen is don't rush them.
In the second part of this article, tips on where to find specialists in distinctive handbags, belts and other accessories as well as custom-made jewelry.
