Las Vegas – just the simple uttering of the neon city elicits visions of slot machines, glamourous women and lots of lots of neon lights. But for us it means three things: an array of beautiful hotels, girls nights dancing at a nightclub and shopping. While New York may be the capital of fashion in America, Las Vegas is home to some great shopping for whatever you’re needs are.
After our second trip to this glittering city (this time for the crazy big tech conference known as CES thanks to Lenovo) we managed to squeeze in some time to hit the shops and see what was happening in our favourite day time haunts.
Start with a game plan
- Wear comfortable shoes. Save the heels for the nightclubs, you will be doing a lot of walking.
- Hit up the outlets first to snap up a good deal, then hit the shops on the strip
- Map out your shops, for example don’t start at the Fashion Show Mall and expect to make it down to the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood (and all the shops inbetween) in one day.
- Don’t rush, the shops often don’t close until 8pm or later.
So now that you know the general do’s and don’ts, here is our run down on what to shop and where.
Shopping on the Las Vegas Strip
What I love about Las Vegas is that there are about 3 Sephora stores on the strip, meaning that if you’re in need of a quick touch up, you don’t have to run up and down the strip. So do your research before you hit the big five shopping malls.
Luxury malls/shopping:
- Crystals at CityCenter
- The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Palazzo
- The Forum Shops at Caesars
Mid range malls/shopping:
- The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood
- Fashion Show Mall
Check out each of their websites for the every changing list of shops available.
Outlet shopping in Las Vegas
If you’re prepared to head off strip with recommend hitting the Las Vegas Premium Outlets North. It’s a no brainer. With a full range of fashion and lifestyle brands setting up their outlet shops (including the Saks outlet, aka Saks Off Fifth, Dolce & Gabanna, Rag & Bone, Michael Kors and Burberry), you’ll be able to stock up on your favourite Calvin Klein underwear from their outlet, get new sneakers from the Nike outlet and then finish it off with snapping up some makeup and skincare from the likes of Clarins and stores run by the owners of MAC, Estee Lauder, Clinique and Origins.
If you’re staying south of the strip near the likes of New York, New York or MGM Grand, have a stroll up to Ross and Marshalls, these superstores are a one stop outlet where you never know what kind of bargain you might be able to find.
One off shops
Word has it for one off find you head off the strip to the Downtown Las Vegas and take in the Fremont District for old school Las Vegas. We wanted to head downtown to check out the Downtown Container Park but never had the time. It’s made from refurbished shipping containers and is home to lots of artsy boutiques, galleries and restaurants.
Our recommended game plan
- Day 1: have a quick gawk at the Las Vegas lights and check out the casinos.
- Day 2: hit the outlets. Give yourself the whole day there.
- Day 3: depending on how much money you have left, check out the Grand Canal Shoppe’s because it’s just amazing to window shop along the canal’s. Then hit up The Forum Shops. If you have time, the Miracle Mile shops.
- Day 4: depending on how sore your feet are, go luxury shopping at the likes of Gucci and Tiffany’s at Crystals. Or check out the Fashion Show Mall. Or hit the spa. We would be hitting the spa 😉
Awesome place.