Cinema has long had an impact on fashion and vice versa. The two are often almost inseparable, with fashion playing an essential role in the way in which movies are created and perceived.
One of the most important ways that fashion and cinema are related is through costume design. Like hair and beauty experts, costume designers are responsible for creating the characters’ looks in a film, and their work can significantly impact how the audience perceives the characters and the story. The costumes can also contribute to the film’s overall aesthetic and help create a specific mood or atmosphere.
While countless films featuring impactful fashion have been released since the era of ‘The Talkies’, today’s post will focus on one of Martin Scorsese’s finest, Casino.
The Amazing 3 Iconic Fashion Traits of Scorsese’s Casino
Scorsese’s Homage to Las Vegas
Occasionally, a movie comes along that resonates with a broad range of moviegoers for its story, cinematography and direction. Martin Scorsese’s Casino, based on Nicholas Pileggi’s book of the same name, is one such film. Ever since it was released (1995), Casino has captured the attention of film buffs worldwide, as much for its exceptional attention to detail in the costume department as it has for its depiction of the 1970s Vegas casino scene.
For millennial and Gen Z viewers, who are likely more familiar with casino games in their digital incarnations at platforms like PokerStars Casino than they are the Las Vegas strip, the movie presents a vivid look at the glamour and grit of the casino world in the 1970s and 80s. Las Vegas offers the perfect backdrop for the opulent finery and vibrant-hued suit jackets worn by the film’s leads Sharon Stone (Ginger McKenna) and Robert De Niro (Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein).
A Masterclass in 1970s and 80s style
Costume designers Rita Ryack and John A Dunn spared no expense in outfitting the characters for the film, reportedly working with a budget of $1 million. The result is a visually stunning journey through the flamboyant fashion of the 1970s, with a level of sumptuousness that is only surpassed by the meticulous research undertaken by the pair.
Ryack and Dunn – no strangers to in-depth research thanks to their background collaborating on Broadway musicals – drew inspiration from real-life photographs of the notorious mobsters on whom the movie’s characters were based. Sharon Stone’s Ginger McKenna even dons a wedding dress in the film that is an exact replica of the one worn by her real-life counterpart, Geri McGee. Meanwhile, legend has it that every suit Ace wore in the movie was bespoke, created by a tailor in New York to be as close as possible to the ones work by Frank ‘Lefty’ Rosenthal.
Iconic Casino Outfits
Instead of relying on tired clichés and overused stereotypes that are common in mob movies, the outfits on show throughout Casino exude a sophisticated and polished aesthetic that veers just on the right side of camp. Even when the male characters are sporting silk robes — a recurring element throughout the movie — the costumes avoid coming across as cheesy or predictable, instead elevating each character’s style to new heights.
Ginger’s flashy ensembles quickly came to symbolise the iconic femme fatale of the late 20th century, rivalled onscreen only by Michelle Pfeiffer’s Elvira in Scarface. For instance, the moment we’re first introduced to the character is presented as a major event. Emerging from an aeroplane in a stunning white fur coat, accompanied by a sultry voiceover that describes her as “a hustler, a woman who knew how to use her looks”, Ginger is immediately established as a confident, complex character with an alluring presence.
With over 40 outfits created for the character of Ginger alone during the movie, Ryack and Dunn truly understood the assignment. A special mention must go out for the iconic nude beaded evening gown designed by Bob Mackie that underlined Ginger’s rise to the top and that staggering fur coat collection Ryack and Dunn sourced directly from local Vegas furriers.
