There's no way to pretend that hot season isn't off to a roaring start in Phnom Penh, with temperatures already far higher than I am ready to cope with. Luckily, though, there's no dearth of places to spend an air-con afternoon. My new favourite is City Mall, that Western-style shopping mecca next to Olympic Stadium. Most expats see a trip to City Mall as merely a shopping experience, whereas I see so much more -- an opportunity to take in some of Cambodia's finest commerce possibilities while lowering my core temperature in the process. Here are some highlights.

It ain't hot season in here!

One the first floor you'll find the best Lucky Supermarket in Phnom Penh. With wide aisles, few customers and copious air-con, it's worth doing your weekly shop here if only to linger by the freezer aisle and get a taste of winter. There are also lots of imported cosmetics on the first floor, if that's your thing. Malayisan brand Elianto has two outlets and there's also Korean brand The Face Shop (who carry very nice cooling masks). Also on the first floor are a number of fast food outlets, where you can also get pretty decent gelato.

The first floor of City Mall is the only one with true air-conditioning, but the upper floors are also relatively cool.

The ride of your life for under $0.37.

The second floor offers much for sale and little to desire, with lots of freshie-style clothes and couple's T-shirt sets; the third floor is where things really start to get interesting. There's the "Fun Park", an arcade with Dance Dance Revolution, basketball games, video games and a photo-sticker booth among other things. Perhaps most unsettling are the electronic panda, giraffe-cum-dinosaur and other creatures that one can ride around the mezzanine (3 tokens, $1 gets you 8 tokens). Big enough to fit an adult and a few kids, these are one of the weirdest amusements I've seen in town.

In between the third and fourth floor is a family-style karaoke joint that appears to be entirely devoid of sleaze, noteworthy in the realm of Phnom Penh karaoke parlours.

It's like heaven for munchkins.

On the fourth floor are another photo-sticker booth, snazzy massage chairs ($1 for 10 minutes) and "Happy City", a kids' play zone that actually looks safe, with padded floor mats and various kid-sized activities (4,000 riel per child). Once the kids are safely stowed at Happy City, parents can enjoy a smoothie or some Khmer fast food at the food court next door.

Also on the fourth floor is Legend Cinema, one of the few places in Phnom Penh to see a movie, and what could be loosely termed an art gallery, with one of the most stunning collections of framed holographic pictures in town. All in all, City Mall offers the lethargic tourist or expat a rewarding (and cool) diversion.

Tags: City Mall, Legend Cinema, Lucky City Mall

I've already covered international clothing labels available in Phnom Penh, but did you know there are local designers, too?

Yes, there is fashion in Cambodia!

There are a number of Cambodian designers and Cambodians raised abroad who have come back to Cambodia and are now designers: SCT (Sar Chantho) is a Cambodian designer based in Phnom Penh outfitting locals and expats; Lady Penh Designs on Sisowath Quay offer a selection of casual cotton dresses, tops and handbags; and Romy Daketh, who runs Ambre, is a favourite among well-heeled Khmers and expats.

Also jostling for position in the market are a number of foreign-born designers now based in Cambodia and working with Cambodian artisans and textiles to create their unique styles. KeoK'jay's fashion-forward designs compliment their green business practices and goal to offer employment to women living with HIV. Wanderlust features brightly-coloured cotton dresses, casual tops and shirt-dresses; while they're Siem Reap-based, they do have a store on Street 240 in Phnom Penh. Madagascar-born designer, Eric Raisina, has been based in Cambodia for 10 years, creating "haute texture" out of Cambodian silk.

Work it. Photo courtesy of Cambodia Fashion Week.

If you're interested in learning more about the Cambodian fashion industry, and not just the part that takes place in garment factories, consider attending Cambodia Fashion Week's Fashion Exhibition. Taking place on November 5 and 6, the fashion exhibition will feature Cambodian designers from abroad as well as expat designers based in Cambodia (designers Ambre and Wanderlust mentioned above will not be featured, but all other designers listed will be.)

Featured designers will be: Remy Hou (USA), Coco Wellington and Two Wonders (New Zealand), and La’Or (Australia) as well as Cambodia-based designers Jasmine Boutique and Sentosa Silk.

I talked to Caitlin Padgett, the producer of the event. "I'm really excited about the exhibition because it provides the opportunity for people in Phnom Penh to access designers that don't usually have retail spaces here. Some will actually be selling their collections from the fashion shows, a whole season early," Padgett said. "The exhibition brings a really interesting and innovative group of designers together in one space, and includes runway shows that feature more accessible day wear and ready-to-wear looks."

Cambodia Fashion Week... where pyjamas go to die.

And while Cambodia Fashion Week might be a polarising event -- some think it's in poor taste and not representative of "true" Cambodian fashion, which favours bold prints and pyjama-like pieces over couture -- even the skeptics will appreciate the fact that CFW's Fashion Exhibition will feature a showcase of items from Cambodia-based socially responsible businesses and NGOs, including Friends International, Good Krama, Push Pull Cambodia, Keok'Jay and La'Or.

"The ethical fashion showcase merges fashion and socially responsible designs and production," Padgett said. "These designers maintain the importance of preserving traditional techniques in interesting and modern fusion fashion."

The two-day event will feature runway shows, music, canapes and champagne.

Cambodia Fashion Week Fashion Exhibition
November 5, 10:00-17:00
November 6, 11:00-18:00
Canadia Tower, 6th Floor
St 110 and Monivong Blvd, Phnom Penh
Entrance fees are $15 for one day, or $25 for both days.

Tags: Ambre, Cambodia Fashion Week, Eric Raisina, fashion designers, Jasmine Boutique, KeoK'jay, Lady Penh Designs, Sentosa Silk, silk, Wanderlust

Phnom Penh isn't a bad city to shop for women's clothing, if you know where to look. Local markets like Orussey are good for local fashions (think orange floral pyjama sets), head there. But, if you prefer more international style in your wardrobe, many international brands are on sale in Phnom Penh.

Russian Market is a great place to get big brand knock-offs, factory over-runs and items that have mysteriously vanished from Cambodian garment factories. In the coming weeks, I'll devote a post exclusively to where to shop at the Russian Market. Today, I'll focus on a few stand-alone stores on Sihanouk Boulevard where you can find international brands and women's clothes in Western sizes.

Mango

The arrival of Mango is the ultimate validation for a city.

Spanish clothier Mango has stated that its company goal is to be present in every city in the world. It's no surprise, then, that they were one of the first Western clothing shops to venture into Phnom Penh. Shopping at Mango will bring you back to a time when you thought spending $70 on a top was reasonable. They've also got a good stock of accessories, including shoes and bags. They don't carry large sizes in every style, but do have a good range of Western sizes overall.

31C Sihanouk Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 223 066
shop.mango.com

Axara

Axara, for when it gets a little chilly in Phnom Penh.

Axara is a women's clothing line from Paris. This is one of the better options if you're looking to do high-end shopping in Phnom Penh. Amusingly, they don't seem to tailor the items they carry to the climate they serve, so right now you can pick out an autumn wardrobe that's more suited to Paris than steamy Phnom Penh. They have nice clothing -- mostly in smaller sizes -- and the overly-attentive staff are a good antidote if you're feeling lonely or ignored.

43 Sihanouk Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 628 2828
axara.com

Wexport

The name is Wexport, thank you.

Wexport (please don't argue that it's meant to be We Export, it's clearly only got one E) has locations all over Phnom Penh, but the one on Sihanouk Boulevard is the most impressive. It should be called We Import though, because most of the items sold inside seem to be produced in Vietnam. They carry popular brands like Banana Republic, Levis and H&M, although usually only the brightest coloured items from these lines.

87 Sihanouk Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (012) 351 411

bYSI

Had to take this pic from far away because the security guard almost decked me when I got closer.

bYSI is a popular brand from Singapore that "provides designer-worthy apparels at accessible price points". They've got lots of cute dresses, tops and skirts, and the staff seemed to be used to foreigner shoppers, as they don't try to stand next to you as you browse. Despite using almost exclusively Western models in the ad campaigns and blonde-haired mannequins, the styles are designed for those under 163 cm tall (read, the dresses are very short). They carry sizes up to an Australian 16.

50B Sihanouk Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 213 668
bysi.com

Tags: Axara, bYSI, Mango, Wexport, women's clothes