"I don't think you understand what I'm saying", said Victor as they walked in the rain. "I know things and I have no idea why I know them." The rain made his hair fall slightly over his left eye.
His friend Lawrence looked at Victor as he turned his collar up and saw the thoughtful look on his friend's face. Victor was always the funny one of the two, but sometimes he just thought too much. It was the spring of 1921 and they walked past the newly opened Town Hall in New York City.
"It's just too hard for me to wrap my mind around", replied Lawrence. "Everything I know, I picked up somewhere. I don't just know stuff out of nowhere."
Victor had learned early on that people would not always get him. Still, in his twenties, he saw a friend in Lawrence and really wanted someone to understand him. Again, he didn't know why. He just knew that someone had to get him.
This night, under the soft warm spring rain, they were headed towards a speakeasy. Both friends needed a drink and some company to celebrate the end of their workweek. Wearing their best suits and freshly cut hair, they expected luck.
Stepping inside, an Italian-looking man greeted the boys: "Welcome to my club. Enjoy yourselves. I'm Luciano."
Victor, already looking around for company, replied uninterested without even making eye contact: "Victor."
Lawrence tried to compensate for his friend's lack of manners. "Thank you mister Luciano." He shook his hand and walked across the club to the bar.
"You can't talk to Luciano like that", said a worried Lawrence. "That's Lucky."
"That's not Lucky", said Victor laughing at his friend's terror. Just to be sure, he peeked over Lawrence's shoulder and saw the impeccably dressed man talking to other well-dressed men. "Oh, that is Lucky Luciano."
Lawrence smiled back: "I thought you knew things."
They both laughed and Victor explained: "Most of the time, the things I know are not practical. I wish I knew stuff that actually helped me. Things that made us some money in this city."
"Please tell me if you know."
The club was big and packed. Even though it was full, the high ceiling still made it look like there was room for more people. There was smoke all around and people were dancing. Lights flashed to the rhythm of black music. The place was almost too big to be considered a speakeasy, but Lucky made sure his business wouldn't be taken down by local authorities. Lucky had his means. He was persuasive. Not because he was a good conversationalist but because it was more practical to have him as a friend than as an enemy.
The twenties were a breath of fresh air for people who needed to express themselves. Growing tired of normalcy, a large group of young people decided to have more fun. They knew there should be more to life than just work and keeping up with the status quo.
Clubs opened the gates to freely express one's desires. Men and women both decided to let go of the restrictions imposed by society. Their clothing, music preference, openness, and style were a big statement of their values. Fashion slowly became less decorative and more functional. It allowed for more movement. It was about being free. Having agency. Being your own person.
Luciano's club was the most popular place to be at this point. Its style, music, and audience attracted especially young ambitious people like Victor and Lawrence. People who came to the city to become somebody.
Victor took a sip of his prohibition rum while Lawrence lit up a cigarette and was staring at the girls dancing. There was a clear shift from the traditional female hourglass body toward a more slim, playful body type. Some women wore Chanel dresses that were designed to signal freedom. Others, who couldn't afford those, wore dresses that were clearly bootlegs or otherwise resembled a Chanel dress.
