Fashion

Las Vegas locals can get a taste of the rocker lifestyle, or a least dress like it, after a visit to Elton's Las Vegas, located in the Shops at Mandalay Bay and the Palazzo at the Venetian Hotel.

This nationally recognized, edgy men's boutique caters to rockers such as Ace Frehley from KISS, to ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, to the Goo Goo Dolls, as well as Las Vegas doctors, lawyers and business executives looking for a new twist on their style.

Leading the specialized, contemporary menswear movement, Elton's has built up a reputation for offering unique and interesting wardrobe items.

"We are the Rolls-Royce of funk wear," said Elton Salinas, owner of Elton's Las Vegas, namesake of a chain of men's fashion stores. He carries Diesel and Hugo Boss, but also seeks out young artistic designers who produce creative and unique items that are not mass merchandised. Two of Elton's favorites for the fall season are Ray Ray Clothing's vintage blazers and Mark Nason modern leather boots.

Ray Ray Clothing takes beautifully constructed vintage pieces and modernizes them with hand embroidery, tailoring and leather accents. His hand revamped vintage blazers are one-of-a-kind works of art.

"My designs have always been geared towards your inner rock star, and there's no better place than Las Vegas to unleash that beast. Elton's truly captures the essence of fashion-forward designs, and I'm honored to have my line in such an amazing forum," said Ray Mizukami Babul, founder of Ray Ray Clothing.

"What's not to love about Las Vegas? Where else in the world can you walk down the street to visit ancient civilizations brought back to life? To be dazzled by dancing fountains, and sparkling lights? The possibilities in this town are limitless and, to a designer, there could be nothing more exciting," Babul added.

Mark Nason Footwear is handcrafted in Italy and designed to complement designer denim and dress casual wear. With distinctive profiles and luxurious leathers, the collection includes a range of classic and modern boots, shoes and sandals - especially for individuals who define style as unique and individualistic.

Mark Nason gives a person a reason to buy another pair of shoes, according to Salinas.

"Casual Friday has spread to Monday through Friday," Salinas stated.

"Men aren't buying suits as much anymore; rather, they look for unique items that make a statement."

Whether attending a cocktail party or casual charity event this fall, Salinas recommends a cool sport shirt, with the right coat, possibly a vintage blazer from Ray Ray Clothing, and the right jeans - most likely a pair that is heavily distressed with handmade detail from Diesel's Couture Collection.

"We don't follow trends, but rather artistry," Salinas explained, adding, "Our customers shop the best stores across the country, but they shop at my store to find something different and feel like they are buying a piece of art."

He enjoys educating his customers and changing men's perceptions about fashion. His favorite anecdote is the time a 40-year-old executive came into the store and complained about the way the store's staff was dressing: their shirttails were hanging out, and they looked way too informal, the customer commented. After receiving an education in fashion from boutique owner Salinas, the executive actually left the store with his shirttails hanging out, his hair a little messier and a newfound sense of respect for men's contemporary fashion.

Salinas has a rich history in the Las Vegas fashion scene. He relocated here at age 26 to work with a leading fashion retailer.

"At that time, it was the only high-end retailer in town, and we outfitted all of the big-name celebrities like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra," he recalled.

After opening his first store in 1996 in the Luxor on the Las Vegas Strip, it was a snowball effect from there. A store at the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino replaced the original store, and Salinas opened his Mandalay Bay location in 2004. Six months later, he ventured into women's fashion with a store called Nora Blue, named after his late mother, and Cream, a handbag boutique. More recently, in January 2008, he opened Elton's in the Shoppes at the Palazzo and the Venetian.

You can always find Salinas around the property and at his stores. However, in his free time, he enjoys the great entertainment variety that Las Vegas has to offer, from musicians such as Little Richard and Celine Dion to the artistic, acrobatic, stunning production shows on the Strip.

The boutique owner's sons help in the business. Son Sean Salinas is a percussionist in Cirque du Soleil's K at the MGM Grand.

"Sean always ends up working with the musicians that come to shop at the store. I think they are attracted to each other's creativity and style," the father said.

His other son, Scott Salinas, is the buyer and store manager for Elton's and accompanies his father on trips to international fashion shows in Barcelona and Florence.

"Las Vegas is a city of its own energy and its own magic," Elton Salinas concluded.

And much of the magic is the artistry and creativity that the founding father of Elton's himself brings to the Las Vegas fashion scene.

Get your new fall fashions going or make a celebrity change in your style by visiting the website for his store at Eltons.com, and see more creations by his featured designers at RayRayUSA.com and MarkNason.com.

The holiday season is the most joyous time of the year - so go ahead and give it all the glitz and glamour the holidays deserve. Don your most beautiful party dress, dazzle ‘em with fabulous hair and makeup, and celebrate the season and New Year in style!

Hot Holiday Hair

The Mirage's celebrity stylist Kim VO shares holiday hair trends and tips on how to get the looks he recommends to his clients, who include Katherine Heigl, Britney Spears and Jenny McCarthy.

The holidays can be the busiest time of the year, so opt for a hairstyle that transitions well from day time to evening. Follow these five easy steps for a sexy holiday ‘do:

Step 1 - Start with clean hair in the morning, a 1" curling iron, and two key products - Kim VO Styling Cream and Dry Serum. The product will add a glossy shine to hair and will protect hair from the heat of the curling iron (since you will be attending many parties and may want to repeat this look more than once).

Step 2 - Combine the two products, emulsify in hands and work through wet hair to the ends.

Step 3 - Blow dry hair completely.

Step 4 - Divide hair into sections and curl.

Step 5 - Gather curls and twist into a side bun for evening. Secure with pins and a little hairspray. The look can be as sleek or as tousled as you like. Kim loves to see texture in the hair - loose, undulating waves.

Looking for a professional to color, cut and style? Visit Kim VO's salon at The Mirage Hotel & Casino. Under Kim's direction the salon offers the latest hairstyling trends and treatment, manicure and pedicures. Even the guys can indulge in high-end grooming with a two station barber shop.

Quite possibly the most fun is visiting the salon's beauty bar where guests can try on wigs to see how they would look with Jennifer Aniston's girl-next-door hairstyle, Rihanna's punker chic look or Beyonce's long, glamorous locks.

Make a Festive Fashion Statement

All of the upcoming holiday events provide a great excuse to splurge for the perfect party dress and accessories at stores such as BCBG Max Azria and Cache at the Fashion Show Mall. Both are filled with a variety of options to choose from in the season's most popular shades - red and bright purple - and chic styles for events ranging from cocktail parties to the office soiree.

Still, with the tight economy, not everyone can afford a new outfit for every event on the calendar. Visit White House Black Market or Forever 21 for that timeless little black dress. This is a great option for budget-savvy babes since a versatile black dress can be changed up using many different accessories, from jackets to shoes to jewelry - a little flair goes a long way.

Merry Makeup Looks

Not just for toasting! Champagne just so happens to be one of the season's most flattering eye shadow shades. Champagne shadow can be worn alone, or applied with a deeper shade in the crease, and looks great on just about everyone.

Play up your eyes with faux eyelashes, or plan ahead and use Revitalash, a unique eyelash conditioner that helps you achieve longer, thicker, fuller lashes in as little as three weeks.

And for the finale, red lipstick - the hottest classic holiday shade. Perfect for that under the mistletoe pucker.

Stocking Stuffers for Her

Want to see that twinkle in her eyes? The Natural Eye Kit by Too Faced Cosmetics is on every woman's wish list. The palette comes with nine shadows and step-by-step instruction cards to help her create that natural, soft, and sexy eye, $34.00.

Don't let the holiday lights be the only thing that sparkles this year. One hot holiday look is glitter eyeliner or eye shadow. Try Loose Eye Dust #39 by Napoleon Perdis, $20.00.

Sure to be her favorite gift, the TS2 is the world's smallest flat iron. The six inch miniature precision straightening iron heats to 400 degrees. It also features tourmaline/ceramic/ionic technology and can be used to style both long and short hair, bangs, and roots. Perfect for travel, $40.00.

For fabulous hair year-round, load up on a selection of ICON's most beloved hair products. The ICON Favorites Pack features their renowned Cure Leave-In Conditioner, Airshine Brilliant Spray and Serum, $53.00.

Give the gift of ultra shiny and ultra luxurious lucks on-the-go with the Frederic Fekkai Must-Haves Gloss Set. Keep that sexy shine with portable sizes of Fekkai Glossing Shampoo, Glossing Conditioner, Glossing Cream, Sheer Hold Hairspray and a comb, $40.00.

Winter weather can zap moisture and chap skin. Make sure to hydrate and nourish the body's largest organ with Dermalogica's Spa Body Therapy kit, featuring travel sizes of the Conditioning Body Wash, Exfoliating Body Scrub, Body Hydrating Cream, Shine Therapy Shampoo and Silk Finish Conditioner, $35.00.

Pamper her with the Kai Gift Bag, featuring one of the most sought-after fragrances. The Kai scent captures the irresistible fragrance of the tropics in a full line of perfume oil and body products. The gift bag includes the perfume oil, body lotion, body wash, twilight candles and Kai tank top, $99.00.

Don't forget her mega watt smile! GO SMiLE‘s 7 Day Smile Whitening System will have your teeth white as snow in no time! Its patented ampoule technology is fast and easy to use, and it ensures that the whitening serum stays potent until you're ready to use it. One more reason to smile: a recent clinical study reported no sensitivity after using GO SMiLE, $89.00.

Need a holiday host or hostess gift? Check out the Frost Pinecone candle from Voluspa. Voluspa's Frost Pinecone is a blend of deep rich forest cypress, crunchy spice pine needles and woody pinecone seeds. This Limited Edition candle is part of the Seasons collection by Voluspa. This exquisite candle has holiday silver wax hand-poured in a gorgeous nickel plate glass container in a soft, velvety box - perfect for gift giving, $29.00.

All stocking stuffer beauty products are available at www.planetbeauty.com.