De Niro is arguably one of the screen’s most famous BAMFs. My first De Niro post, however, isn’t about boxer Jake LaMotta (Raging Bull) or vicious mobster Jimmy Conway (Goodfellas) or even the dapper Mafia chief Vito Corleone (The Godfather, Part II)…

To kick off BAMF Style’s Week of Weddings – because, you know, Valentine’s Day is coming up – and bring in Mafia Monday on a BAMF note, here is De Niro getting married in Casino.

Vitals

Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, brilliant sports handicapper, gambler, and mob associate

Las Vegas, Spring 1974

Film: Casino
Release Date: November 22, 1995
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Design: Rita Ryack & John A. Dunn

Background

I don’t know why it’s taken me this long, other than the fact that it’s a three-hour movie that features over fifty costume changes for its main character – pretty much all of them suits – but here is the first breakdown from Casino. As mentioned, it’s said that De Niro had around 52 costume changes throughout. Most of his suits and jackets are very loud, a series of sharkskin or silk pastels ranging from hot pink to lime green (if limes were radioactive), so the suit chosen for his wedding was relatively conservative.

In this sequence, Ace takes a chance (Vegas and all…) and marries ex-hustler Ginger, played by Sharon Stone. After the champagne drinking and cake-sharing festivities, she rushes off to make a tearful call to her ex-boyfriend, a drug dealing pimp currently doing a line with one of his girlfriends who tells her to keep her new husband on a leash. Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, I think that right there tells you what a happy union this will be!

Although the pimp is played by James Woods so you gotta love him, right?

What’d He Wear?

For his big day (can you hear De Niro calling it that?), Rothstein wears a black wool tailored suit. The jacket is outfitted with ’70s details from the wide peak lapels and long double vents to the steeply angled hip pockets with wide flaps. There is a single button on each cuff, and a welted breast pocket where Ace wears his white silk pocket square. To celebrate the occasion, a white boutonniere is fixed to his left lapel.

Although we don’t see much of his trousers other than the side pockets and slightly flared bottoms, Ace’s perfectionism informs us that these trousers wouldn’t differ much from his others and thus would have a flat front and fitted waistband in lieu of a belt. The plain-hemmed bottoms break over a pair of black patent leather square-toed balmorals, naturally worn with black dress socks.

His white silk Anto dress shirt is typical of the ’70s with its long collar. It has a plain front and the same distinctive 1-button tab cuffs invented by Ted Lapidus that appear on most of Ace’s shirts. Though the buttoned jacket prevents us from seeing, there is also likely a monogrammed breast pocket. Anto also created the matching white silk textured tie to be worn with the shirt.

Though he doesn’t wear a traditional wedding band, Ace always sports a pinky ring on his right hand – in this case, a 14-carat gold pinky ring with a diamond setting.

All in all, it’s a nice look… although it does kinda shout “Mafia!”, especially given the garish Vegas setting.

Go Big or Go Home – Wedding Edition

The Venue

The Riviera Hotel and Casino, 2901 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109

Ace had an in here, being the food and beverage chairman (or was he entertainment manager at this point?), but maybe you’ll be able to swing a thing or two. If not, I’m sure there’s a chapel up the street. (Sadly, the Riviera closed in May 2015 and was imploded throughout the summer of 2016. I was lucky to go while it was still standing.)

The Refreshments

In addition to the steak and lobsters for dinner, everyone had champagne! Ace and his new wife, Ginger, even did the corny thing where they drink with their arms linked.

Notable Guests

The narration notes that Ace invited half the town of Vegas – we’re guessing the important half (judges, mobsters, casino owners, etc.) – but know that no wedding is truly a wedding without the appearance of Joe Pesci.

The Music

In a nod to the real life Ace’s job at the Stardust, a version of “Stardust” sung by the song’s writer Hoagy Carmichael plays during the sequence. We can’t know for sure, but it’s a good guess that you aren’t gonna hear “The Chicken Dance” at this wedding. “Hava Nagila” maybe.

(Fun fact: Hoagy Carmichael was used as a basis of James Bond’s appearance in the original novels by Ian Fleming.)

How to Get the Look

For once, this one is pretty easy.

• Black wool suit, consisting of:
  • Single-breasted 1-button suit coat with wide peak lapels, welted breast pocket, slanted flapped hip pockets, 1-button cuffs, and long double vents
  • Flat front trousers with side pockets and plain-hemmed bottoms
• White silk long-sleeve Anto dress shirt with long point collar, plain front, monogrammed breast pocket, and 1-button “Lapidus” tab square cuffs
• White textured silk Anto necktie
• Black patent leather square-toed balmorals/oxford shoes
• Black dress socks
• Yellow gold 14-carat diamond ring, worn on the right pinky
• White boutonniere, pinned to left lapel
• White silk pocket square, folded in breast pocket

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Buy the movie.

The Quote

When you love someone, you’ve gotta trust them. There’s no other way. You’ve got to give them the key to everything that’s yours. Otherwise, what’s the point? And for a while, I believed, that’s the kind of love I had.

Spoiler Alert: He’s wrong, she bangs the whole town of Vegas and eventually leads to him getting blown up in his car <3

Footnotes

I unfortunately can’t find it anywhere online (doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying), but I’ve seen a photo of the real Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal – the inspiration for the character of Ace – on his wedding day and he was wearing a darker necktie. Please file this in the “Necessary Information” portion of your brain.

To make up for that, here‘s a picture of Lefty’s real life wife Geri.