Tailors in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
 

Any experiences / recommendations for a tailor there ? Thank you.

Having lived in this underwhelming armpit for two years now I can honestly say I've never noticed a tailorshop at all.

Dsquared, don't sugar-coat it. Tell us how you really feel about PP. :D Seriously, Cambodia is really not the place to get tailoring done in SE Asia. I wouldn't bother unless you're just looking for someone to hem your cuffs.

:D I'll cover it in palm sugar and roll it in confectioner's after. :D

Unless they've all moved in the last couple of years (which I doubt), there's a pack of them on the north side of Sihanouk Blvd around St 63 IIRC. But I agree, they're not particularly great: I've had a suit and pants etc made, and while prices were cheap (less than in BKK etc.), the quality was worse and the hassle factor much greater.

There are some tailors who are OK at copying existing garments, but I don't have a specific recommendation.

The exception to the above: for women, Romyda Keth's Ambre is great, and can be outstanding value for money.

That area has turned into a wanna-be upscale shopping area. There are some local shops left (not sure what exactly they are) for the time being.

Now Now dsquared37.... it might be an armpit but it is our armpit (for a while longer... )

Tailors are actually all over, there is NOT one area to go find them, like everything else in this city many items just appear out of the blue and items are in very strange locations. There are some tailors near Sorya Center and on Sihanouk and little shops pop up all over.

I personally have had items redone from a shop at Oryssey market and Russia market. Nothing I'd write home about and the selection of fabric is what is weak. They have some good cutters and sewers in the town as it is a garment country but the selection of cloth for suits is lacking at the shops I've gone to.

I still prefer Vietnam to get the suits done, second would have to be Thai and dropping to third place is my old favorite hong kong. But with the quality of thai suits I have been getting lately I gotta think that hong kong might be back up to the number two spot. Thai seems to be slipping in quality and value.

I had some curtains made at one of the tailor shops in the Russian market in 2009(so take that for what it is worth)! There are also other places. Sadly most of the fabric on sale is imported and not that nice, there are few places that sell nice fabrics (beside "the shop") but are usually used for interior applications.

:D After the Kingdom of Wonder tourism campaign is over they can embark upon:

Cambodia, the New Jersey of southeast Asia.

< humor, please take it for nothing more >

Cambodia at least has Angkor. New Jersey has....Atlantic City. :p

The tailor shops are all gone? Even Mondial and Khmer Independent tailors? Suprising, those guys had been around for years and years. (Though I shouldn't be too surprised - PP changes at warp speed.)

In which case, the best is probably the small mom-and-pop shops. Many PP-based expats have their favorites (ours was on St 9, just south of St 308). Language can be a problem.

(I'll ignore the New Jersey debate, but will say this: from my current perspective (living in East Africa), no one who lives ANYWHERE in SE Asia should complain, ever!) (And that's recognizing that I don't have it so bad, living in Dar es Salaam...)

I believe Mondial might still be there. I'm out of country at the moment so can't check on it. But the stretch on Sihanouk from 51 to Monivong is being transformed quickly.

Comparing Cambodia to New Jersey just make my vomit in my mouth. Aside from the slums of east Trenton being as bad as the slums of the Stung Meanchey Dump area there is no comparison.

As much as I love Cambodia, I'd move there tomorrow if I could think of a way to make it work financially for me, I'd not considering doing any tailor work there. I suppose the Russian market would be a good start, but Hong Kong, Bangkok and Hoi Ann /Anywhere,Vietnam have more of what most people are looking for when it comes to tailoring in Asia. I find the cheaper places are far better at copying items than creating their own. They also love to put horribly short inseams on all their pants for some reason.

THere are definitely good and cheap tailors in Phnom Penh
 

There are a number of excellent tailors, and like most shops in Phnom Penh come in less than perfect surroundings. In fact, some are a mess, but inside the work is outsatnding. I now live in Bangkok and fly to PNH just for making clothes. In BKK good tailors charge about 1800 baht for a dress. In PNH I pay 300 baht for the same quality and for clothes made in half the time.

PNH is special, and experienced liviing in develping countires, it is one of my favorites. It may not be this persons cup of tea and a shame one has to live in a place they don't like. BUT tailors are to be found.

I hate to give away trade secrets, but CUNG tailors (Mr Cung is in his 70's working out ofhis rumpled row house, Vietnamese so speaks French) One of the best even when competing with 100's of tailors in Bangko, He's over in the Wat Phnom area. am visiting soon so will add his address.

FABRICS
 

RUssian market sells linens and cottons, as well as sythnethics. Most of them are left-overs from places like GAP who produce clothing in PNH. Solids are in biggest supply. COST: $2 to $2.50 a Meter. Same product in Bangkok, $8-10 a meter.

Olympic market has a huge hodge podge nad cheap. You have to know your fabrics to identify linen and cotton and sythentic blends, but there too are huge bargains.

Curtains in tropical climates are best made from a heavy weight sythnthetic. I made a houseful of elegant curatins, hight windows, all around. $1 a meter and the outstanding curtain makers charged $50. This was in 2002 so prices have risen, but both workmanship and fabric are cheap are excellent.

I think too few people really make clothes or fabric items, so don't know what is possible or avbailable in PNH. I make clothes regularly and fly to PNH for both linen and tailor. A shame it's such a secret to local expats.