Casino Apparel

Casino Apparel

For many members of the poker playing community who have called Las Vegas home for more than a few decades (including yours, truly), one issue has become impossible to ignore in recent years. In many ways, this city just ain’t what is used to be, and that is perhaps most glaringly obvious in the arena of apparel. Though it may seem laughably old-fashioned in the year 2006, there once was a day in which no man or woman would dream of setting foot inside a Las Vegas casino without getting all dolled up in something that came close to formal wear.

Obviously, those days are long gone. Now, when you walk into any given Las Vegas casino, you are much more apt to find tank-tops, sandals, wifebeaters, studded leather and denim cut-offs than a dinner jacket, tie, evening gown or high heels. While some of us may naturally lament the staggering fall in standards that Nevada casino apparel has experienced over the course of the past two decades or so, I for one have always believed in looking forward rather than gazing back wistfully at the glory days of old.

Apparently, I am not the only person who has noted this alarming change in standards, and is making an effort to address the issue. Many of you may have read recently that George Clooney and Brad Pitt announced they were going into business as co-owners of a ritzy new resort/casino in Las Vegas with the catchy name of Las Ramblas. In a press statement, Clooney made a point of mentioning that this would be the type of joint the where men are required to wear a sports coat and ladies a classy evening dress whenever stepping inside the casino and adjacent restaurants. For many old Nevada farts like Floyd Manning, this announcement came as a great relief, and perhaps even a cautious indication that a new era of style in L.V. was on the horizon.

Alas, the Las Ramblas project inexplicably fell apart when Brad Pitt decided to pull out of his financing obligations (at least, that is what I read in the trade publications, and it was confirmed by some of my unnamed sources on the Vegas nightclub circuit).

So, since it seems that there will not be a return to form any time soon, how should you dress when entering a typical Vegas casino? Well, it is all a matter of personal style, but you do not want to overlook the importance of comfort. If, for example, you intend to spend many long hours seated around a gambling table putting massive amounts of cash on the line, you want to be wearing some sort of apparel that allows for breathing and flexibility. Finding that right mix of looking sharp and being comfortable should be the optimum goal of every person in setting foot inside a Las Vegas gambling house.

As a caveat, I'd like to say that the same general rules of attire apply in Atlantic City, just add more hair gel and if possible grow out a nice mullet. After all, we're talking about New Jersey.