How Casino Style Icons Have Influenced Fashion

min read
BetMGM Sep 16, 2021, 8:00 AM

While you might enjoy not worrying about fashion while playing online casino games, there is no doubt that casinos have had a part to play in the evolution of fashion over the years. To help you understand how casinos have influenced fashion, here’s a look at some popular culture icons, who have all strutted their stuff on the casino floor. 

Icons who’ve influenced casino style and fashion

Celebrities love to be seen and have fun, and many of them have spent a few good nights enjoying themselves while playing casino table games in Las Vegas. There are certain individuals who have made a considerable impact on casino style, which we’ve listed below. 

Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack

Black-and-white image of a man in a 1950s-style suit and hat taking a picture.

Frankie “Blue Eyes” and the rest of the Rat Pack caused a stir wherever they went, and Sinatra’s illustrious singing career is intertwined with the growth of the entertainment scene in Las Vegas in the 1950s. 

Although Sinatra went on to have his own solo career, the famous shows that the Rat Pack put on, in their dapper suits and hats, set the sartorial tone for high-end gambling in the City of Lights. This evolution in style is credited with elevating the dusty Strip to a sophisticated adult playground. The clothes they wore were so revered, in fact, that they were even sold off at an auction many years later. 

James Bond

Whether you prefer Roger Moore, Sean Connery or Daniel Craig, there’s no denying that the suave spy character they played in various movies has had a massive impact on men’s fashion and style, from the 1960s right up until today. 

Of course, what people wear while playing casino games is also influenced by the times and trends, but we certainly have Bond in his dapper tuxedo to thank for making playing poker and baccarat look so good. “Bond girls,” as they’re known, also brought some demure swagger to the tables with their impeccably presented gowns and immaculate hairdos, most famously in movies like Diamonds Are Forever and Casino Royale.

Geraldine ‘Geri’ McGee

Woman with long hair in a red sequined dress holding playing cards against a black background.

Model and Las Vegas showgirl “Geri” McGee was the inspiration for a character called Ginger, whom Sharon Stone played in the Martin Scorsese epic, Casino. With first-hand knowledge of all the glamour that came along with cocktail parties and shows along the Strip, McGee brought a serious amount of pizzazz to the scene in her later years, after working as a waitress and a showgirl.

While playing the character based on McGee, her style is clear from all of the beautiful gowns that Stone wears throughout this iconic movie, including beaded halter-neck dresses with keyhole necklines and an exquisite, full-length gown made of vintage metal sequins. As all the Bond girls and Rat Pack fans before her, the original McGee’s dress sense certainly commemorates a landmark era of style. 

The cast of Ocean’s Eleven

Handsome man wearing suit in luxury casino interior.

Like the dapper gents who preceded him, George Clooney, in his role as the calculating but lovable character of Danny Ocean in Ocean’s Eleven and the sequels, arguably set the standard for modern-day men’s fashion in the casino realm. Of course, there are many other characters in this film who also helped to carry this signature look, including a host of other A-list Hollywood actors, all dressed in well-cut suits.

We’ve focused a lot on men in this article, but who can forget the scene where Julia Roberts comes down the stairs in a stunning red dress suit? The luxurious outfits she wears throughout the movie epitomize the glitz and glamour of a high-end casino. Many of those attending a well-known casino aspire to such a level of style and sophistication! 

Tips for bringing current fashion trends to your gameplay

It’s great to be inspired by all of the characters, real and fictional, who have brought their personal sense of style to the gaming floor, but how do you combine that with fashion trends in 2021 and beyond?

First, you don’t need to dress like James Bond or Julia Roberts to play casino games, but you could take a feather out of their caps, so to speak, and dress up a little bit on your next night out on the town. You don’t have to rent a tux or buy a Chanel dress suit, but you could wear a blazer, or a dress with a flattering neckline with a carefully chosen item of jewellery to help glam things up a bit. 

Enjoy the casino ambience from the comfort of your own home

Even if you’re spinning the reels and enjoying online slots at home on your couch, you can still feel the same excitement that you would if you were standing right next to the machines when you sign up to play casino slot games at BetMGM.
If you’re more interested in the communal feel of a craps or blackjack table, we also have a range of live casino games on offer at our online casino, as well as a variety of table and card games, that might just make you feel as though you’re sitting opposite Bond… a tuxedo or haut couture dress is optional!

Actress Vanessa Hudgens flipping casino chips next to the text "The King of Casinos"
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Our BetMGM editors and authors are sports experts with a wealth of knowledge of the sports industry at all levels. Their coverage includes sports news, previews and predictions, fun facts, and betting.

Our BetMGM editors and authors are sports experts with a wealth of knowledge of the sports industry at all levels. Their coverage includes sports news, previews and predictions, fun facts, and betting.