Vegas Hotel Shopping: Robbery or a Steal? (pt 3)
Classy brands in campy stores? We don’t mean surplus outlets but shopping in Las Vegas.
The paradox of shopping is that even the most stylish products find themselves housed in malls, which in trying too hard to look upmarket, are deadly boring and generic. Not with Las Vegas casino hotel shopping, where even chic shops best left alone get a fashion makeover in their choice of themes — Parisian, Venetian, New Yorkish, Europeanesque, Ancient Arabian or Roman or Egyptian, et cetera.
Often the result isn’t cheap, literally and figuratively, but an amusing kind of kitsch that offers some of the best Las Vegas shopping deals. In the same shopping trip, for example, you’ll find panties 
perfect for a honeymoon and for strip poker. Shoppers get to play dressup, and so do the shops.
Best of Las Vegas Hotel Shopping
Aladdin, Bally’s, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Circus Circus, Harrahs, Hilton.
Hooters, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, The Mirage, New York-New York, Paris Las Vegas.
Rio, Masquerade Village. Spread out underneath Masquerade in the Sky, said to be the best Las Vegas free show, the shopping arcade is designed like a quaint northern Italian hamlet, down to Italian décor, marble, and sandstone. Some 26 specialty shops and six restaurants, mixed in with gaming tables, include Landau, The Masquerade Store, and Wine Cellar & Tasting Room. Open 10 am to midnight.
Stratosphere, Tower Shops. Whether or not you’re going for a Mars Attacks! look or hair fresh out of the best Las Vegas thrill rides, Roni Josef International Salon and Spa is located in this shopping promenade offering 50 specialty shops, including Distinction, 004, and Cleo’s. Open 10 am to 11 pm, or midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Treasure Island. The good news is its hotel shops range from Rolex, Calvin Klein, and Gucci to Siren’s Cove Shoppe and Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere Store. The better news is it leads straight away to Fashion Show Mall, where stores include Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, and a host of many delish others.
Tropicana, Trop Shops. Clinch your trip to the swim-up blackjack tables or Casino Legends Hall of Fame with a visit to over 25 specialty shops, from Las Vegas Historic Museum and Gift Shop, Bijoux Terner, and Norman Kaplan to Gold by the Inch, Cleopatra Treasures, and Romancing the Stone.
The Venetian, The Grand Canal Shoppes. Take a romantic gondola ride at the awesomely Venice-themed shopping emporium where glass blowers, flower peddlers, and live street performers dot the cobblestoned pathways and streetside cafes. A very upscale roster of over 75 shops and gourmet restaurants includes Burberry, Jimmy Choo, Kenneth Cole, Christian Dior, and jewelry shops like Mikimoto and Movado. Open 10 am to 11 pm, or midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Wynn, Wynn Esplanade. Akin to Via Bellagio, in another casino hotel Steve Wynn conceptualized, the exclusive shopping area is a respite from themed complexes some of us resent for grabbing attention away from shopping itself. This one’s completely about ogling, featuring the first Jean Paul Gaultier and Oscar de la Renta stores, plus the Ferrari and Maserati store, Manolo Blahnik, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Chanel, and many other retail shops that justify drooling in public.
