Shopping in Las Vegas

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Las Vegas Shopping

World-class shopping in Vegas? Yes, among the scads of kitsch and Elvis memorabilia (looking for a piece of the King's pillowcase?), there's also the ne plus ultra from Cartier and Yves Saint Laurent. The square footage in the Forum Shops at Caesars alone is the most valuable retail real estate in the country; bankrolls are dropped there as readily as on the gaming tables. It's the variety that has pushed Las Vegas near the ranks of New York City, London, and Rome: you could send home a vintage slot machine or tote home a classic Hermès handbag. You might start to think those pesky casinos only get in the way of your shopping safaris.

Most Strip hotels offer designer dresses, swimsuits, jewelry, and menswear; almost all have shops offering logo merchandise for the hotel or its latest show. Inside the casinos the gifts are elegant and exquisite. Outside, all the Elvis clocks and gambling-chip toilet seats you never wanted to see are available in the tacky gift shops. Beyond the Strip, Vegas shopping encompasses such extremes as a couture ball gown in a vintage store and, in a Western store, a fine pair of Tony Lamas boots left over from the town's cowboy days. Shoppers looking for more practical items can head for neighborhood malls, supermarkets, shopping centers, and specialty stores. And to avoid the stratospheric prices on the Strip, shoppers not averse to driving a bit can find the same high-ticket items at lower prices at the town's factory outlet malls.