Flawless Fortune

Vanna White has donned more than 5,000 gowns for her letter-lighting gig on "Wheel of Fortune." And you thought your closet was impressive.

Truth is, she doesn't get to keep them. She doesn't even get to pick them. The ageless blonde just shows up, slips them on and -- if it's one of the more uncomfortable ones -- longs for the sound of a zipper unzipping. Her office uniform may consist of Oscar-worthy gowns and Cinderella slippers, but White's personal style couldn't fall any further from the glamour tree.

"It's really casual," says White of her wardrobe off-camera. "REALLY casual. Like sweats, no makeup and tennis shoes."

But today, during a four-day taping at The Venetian, White glides onstage in a champagne number designed by Camille Almog. Almog is responsible for Camille Flawless, the red carpet gown collection and boutique in The Venetian. Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, Beyoncé, Halle Barry and now Vanna White make up her higher profile clientele. Almog's gowns are all custom-made, hand-sewn and hand-painted. She makes no secret of her penchant for "bling," which explains why her gowns drip with Swarovski crystals. The Israel-born designer produced 11 gowns for the tapings, five of which will make onscreen cameos.

"The show needed a little glamour, a little fashion twist," says Almog, whose gowns for the show run from $3,000 to $15,000.

The night before the first Las Vegas show, Almog and her assistant scurried to finish the last-minute adjustments. White's barely-there frame called for a lot of "minimizing" and the show's audience meant bringing up the necklines on the gowns and turning R-rated backlines into something family-friendly. Alterations or not, the gowns still boast the Camille Flawless signature sparkle.

"When we go on location, we try to find a local boutique that feels like it brings the interest of the community and shows viewers the flavor of the city where the taping is," says Kathi Nishimoto, stylist for "Wheel of Fortune."

White, who's had to get sewn into dresses before, found the Camille Flawless fit the most impressive feature of the dresses. They hugged her body like a glove, but none of the slinky gowns came in her all-time favorite style. "I like the babydoll dresses," she says. "I don't have to suck it in."