Glamour and Thrills: The 5 Most Iconic Fashion Pieces From Casino Movies
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By PAGE Editor
The world of casinos in cities like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Macau are usually associated with glitz, glam, fashion, and decadence. Indeed, if you head into any of the top casinos in Vegas at night like the Bellagio, Caeser’s Palace, or the Venetian, you can usually find plenty of people dressed to impress.
For men it could be a classic suit, or even a tux, while women are often seen in exquisite dresses. Of course, in the daytime it can be a completely different story and we’ve seen plenty of people at the tables in their shorts and t-shirts!
Fashion Remains an Integral Part of the Casino Experience
Although online casinos have paved the way for a different type of gambling and placed less emphasis on the tradition casino, there is something about the glamor and thrills that continues to draw punters. Indeed, while you can play slots, roulette, and blackjack from your smartphone at online casinos, their physical counterparts are still amazing venues to visit.
Similarly, the grandeur of locations like Monte Carlo Casino, The Venetian, Tusk Rio Casino Resort, The Wynn, and the City of Dreams Casino in Macau give people the urge to dress up, kit themselves out in the latest fashion, and try to make an entrance.
It’s part of the casino experience – the fashion adds an extra layer of style and sophistication to these venues and people often look forward to this as much as the gambling, entertainment, and food and drink. We don’t expect this will ever go away and we think that casinos will forever be linked with fashion, glamor, and style.
The style and fashion of casinos is hard to ignore and it’s definitely a thing, and this has often been perpetuated by TV and movies. We explore this below by looking at five of the most popular casino movies of all time, and how the fashion of the main characters played an important role in setting the scene and adding to the immersion of the big screen.
The Sting – Paul Newman and Robert Redford Dressed to Impress
The Sting is an all-time casino classic, and the fashion was incredibly memorable. Particularly the attire of the two main characters, played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The fashion in this film is especially memorable because of the era it is meant to represent – 1930s USA in the midst of the Great Depression.
The main casino scenes have Redford and Newman dressed in black tuxedos and bowties and they look impeccable. However, the scenes in the gambling dens also have classic 1930s attire with the mobsters wearing waistcoats and hats. The clothing was done incredibly well, and it adds to the authenticity of the film and in recreating the 1930s setting.
For the uninitiated, The Sting is essentially a tale of grifting, casinos, gambling, and mob affairs with the main characters attempting to con a mob boss – it’s a legendary film and a must-see for any casino fan.
Casino – Robert Di Nero Looking Swerve
Casino stars Robert Di Nero and it puts a different twist on the typical casino film genre. In this epic, Di Nero is hired as a casino pit boss who oversees it’s daily operations. You get to see what goes on in this world and of course other storylines emerge between the different characters.
Throughout the film, Di Nero’s character looks incredible. He is always dressed in a high-quality suit and really looks the part of a Vegas casino operator. Whenever the scenes go to the casino floor, the other cast are dressed to impress to and Sharon Stone always looks fantastic.
Rounders – Incredibly 90s
We love the overly 90s fashion on full display in the 1998 film Rounders. Sure, it’s not exactly high fashion, but there is something deliciously retro about the tracksuits, and every single outfit Mat Damon wears in this film. He somehow manages to pull off loose-fitting jeans and a boring jacket and make them look somewhat fashionable!
The film follows Mike McDermott’s (Matt Damon) dream of becoming the World Series Champion of Poker. However, he comes a cropper and immediately loses his entire bankroll to a Russian mobster. From there, he works with a mentor and other people like Lester Murphy (Edward Norton) to try and improve his play, and claim back his money from the mobster. It’s a classic, and we just love the 90s fashion going on in this film.
Hard Eight – Gwyneth Paltrow and Co Keep it Classy
Although Hard Eight wasn’t a huge box office success, the movie generally had excellent critical reviews and the performances of the cast have always been praised. The film tells the tale of Sydney Brown and John Finnegan – ne a senior gambler, and the other a homeless man who has been victim to the darker side of gambling.
The story follows the duo as they travel to Vegas to win back their fortunes and learn the finer arts of casino gambling. Along the way they meet Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow) who becomes wrapped up in their endeavors. Her attire as a cocktail waitress is particularly stunning and she steals the show whatever scene she is in.
The contrast between the rather dilapidated and rundown look of John C. Reily’s character compare to the stylish, well-dressed appearance of Samuel L Jackson is also a highlight and it goes to show the two ends of the spectrum of gambling – fame and despair.
Ocean’s Eleven – Pitt and Clooney, Come on?
Ocean’s Eleven is arguably the best of the Ocean’s series and it features some legendary actors and superb fashion for the time. We have Danny Ocean (played by Clooney) who creates a team of less-than reputable people including Rusty Ryan (Pitt) to perform a multi-million dollar heist of three Vegas Casinos – the MGM Grand, Mirage, and Bellagio.
There are some memorable outfits in this movie and there’s only Matt Damon who feels a little underdressed. He rocks up to the casinos in a typical early 2000s jacket and t-shirt combo. The other members of Ocean’s crew, however, make more of a statement.
Brad Pitt and Clooney look fantastic in their different color suits, while Don Cheadle has a more vibrant ensemble, often wearing a stylish brown leather jacket. Perhaps the most notable fashion statement is Elliot Gould’s character though who goes all out and wears a bright red suit that looks more like something from the 1970s!
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