Some Las Vegas Commodities Are a Good Bet

For shopkeepers in Las Vegas’ hotel and casino arcades, the challenge is finding a way to lure high rollers away from the gambling tables. One enticement is glitzy, glamorous merchandise that can’t be bought anywhere else. While much of it isn’t for everyone, there is nowhere on earth you can buy the kind of clothing, accessories, gift items and souvenirs that are found in Las Vegas.

If you win big at Caesars Palace (3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South), for example, you can find plenty of Gucci and Cartier. The marble-lined shopping arcade, called the Appian Way in keeping with the hotel’s Roman theme, offers a store that boasts the world’s largest number of Gucci products per square foot. The Cartier outlet is a relatively small boutique with limited stock, but they can rapidly obtain Cartier’s full product range and services.

The Roman theme is echoed in Caesars Exclusively, a boutique that features souvenir items manufactured and distributed by the hotel chain. Toga Teddy bears wear sandals and crowns of gold leaves ($28 to $295). Toga Teddy also appears on watches ($35), backpacks ($18), baseball caps (from $7), satin baseball jackets ($100), note paper ($3.50), mugs ($7), wine glasses ($8), T-shirts (from $10) and sweat shirts (from $44). The shop also carries it’s own scents, Caesars Woman Extravagant Perfume ($55 for a half-ounce) and Caesars Man Legendary Cologne Spray ($32.50 for four ounces).

If you’re looking for definitive Las Vegas glitz, the Karla del Monaco Boutique has one-of-a-kind clothes, such as glittering bustiers adorned with colored gems ($595) or covered with golden beading and tassels ($600). Other bustiers feature beaded busts of actors Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart ($900) and a tuxedo jacket has buttons that look like pocket watches ($695). The shirt, which looks as if it is made of money, costs $95.

For an ethnic look there are leather outfits bedecked with fringe, blue feathers and gold sequins. To accessorize, the boutique offers thigh-high gold boots with super high heels ($425), leopard skin cowboy boots ($425) and rhinestone-studded boot straps ($175). And for the really daring, there are chain mail mini-skirts in gold, silver or black ($1,100), with matching chain-mail tank tops ($800) or blouses ($900).

More conservative, but just slightly so, is Marshall Rousso, Las Vegas’ premiere boutique chain (with 10 outlets at other hotel and casino arcades). Rousso stocks a complete wardrobe of glamorous women’s clothing and accessories at reasonable prices. The look emphasizes evening attire.

Richly red dresses with fringing or sequins sell for about $136. There are beaded angora sweaters ($148) in vibrant reds, pale pastel pinks and a full palette of other colors. Beaded satin high-heel dress pumps cost $90 and beaded sneakers are $82. A sequined jacket featuring racing patches costs $845 and is shown with leather pants ($230 and up). There are satin-finish quilted raincoats in olive drab with brilliant black buttons ($290) and appliqued sweat suits for $195.

Fashion Accent has unusual accessories, including handbags and hats. Best are the Las Vegas-style watches, including a Queen or King of Diamonds watch ($39), a penny-faced watch ($60), a spider web watch ($33) and a watch that looks like a miniature Ferrari ($38). The heart-shaped Lolita-like sunglasses ($45) and hair clips ($28) are fun.

Brittany Jewels International, with its own design workshop and factory, claims to have the most reasonable prices on quality diamonds in Las Vegas. The diamonds range from one-quarter carat women’s rings for $359 to two-carat rings for $9,599, with men’s prices slightly higher. There are also one-of-a-kind pieces, including a necklace with five jade stones and 6.91 carats in diamonds for $74,500.

The Toy Store has sophisticated and pricey high-tech gadgets and games for adults, and for children, traditional dolls and stuffed animals, from the affordable to the extravagant. An example of the latter is a shiny, red, miniature Mercedes Benz with sheepskin seat covers that goes 5 m.p.h. and costs $5,000. But there are also stuffed pigs and cows that walk and squeal or moo ($30 each) and tiny stuffed owls (they hoot) in miniature cages ($29).

Bally’s Grand Hotel (3645 Las Vegas Blvd. South) has branches of The Toy Store and Marshall Rousso, as well as its own Bally’s Grand Gift Shop featuring extravagant gaming-related souvenirs. A craps table that converts into a coffee table can be had for $2,500; a 21 table that turns into a wet bar is $3,400. More reasonable are toy slot machines for $59 and up, show girl dolls dressed skimpily in feathers for $30 and diamond-studded granny glasses for $18.

The French Room features sexy lingerie, including Bob Mackie originals ($185), two-piece silk pajama sets ($219) and beaded black lounging suits ($120) that look as though they can be used as evening wear before they’re worn to bed.

Norman Kaplan Footwear has a fine collection of Italian leather boots ($180 and up) and some wonderful round-toed beaded pumps for about $100.

Le Grand Jewels periodically has drawings to give away $1,000 diamond rings; no purchase necessary to enter. In addition, the shop has fabulous watches, including antique Mickey Mouse models for about $225 and up, as well as a full array of other glittering baubles. Diamond tennis bracelets cost $799 and up.