I have the most fabulous flapper dress that I bought at a vintage store for Halloween one year. It's so legitimate that when I wear it, I can almost smell Daisy Buchanan's perfume.
Actually, I doubt socialite Daisy wore flapper dresses at all. But maybe one of the women Gatsby met while making his fortune wore my dress.
An obsession with trends of the past, including flappers (and the eighties, of course), is commonplace. But one trend I never thought I'd see return (especially from the eyes of a college student) is Prohibition.
How could something that began as a law- the 18th Amendment, specifically- and evolved into what is now considered the unhappiest cocktail hour of our nation's history- become trendy?
Recently, some of the hottest bars have been modeled after speakeasies. These bars, though far from illegal, aim to feel like those during Prohibition. Some of them ask for passwords when guests call to make reservations. PDT (Please Don't Tell), a bar in NYC, requires guests to enter through a hot dog shop, then step into a phone booth and identify themselves by speaking into the receiver. A buzzer then opens a secret door, revealing PDT.
With the economy down, and so many businesses struggling to stay open, it seems odd that these bars can afford to be so secretive. I guess that which is exclusive is always more appealing (the outside looking in never has quite the same view).
And even if it's not illegal anymore, when something is forbidden, it's always more appealing.
Just ask Eve. She could have had it all, but she fell for the lonely apple.
Now take that forbidden fruit and throw it in an apple martini and you've got the perfect Prohibition cocktail.
Even if alcohol is not banned, these bars have a certain appeal that keeps the bad boys coming and the good girls wanting more.
However, the authenticity only goes so far. Their alcohol isn't poisoned (the opposite, in fact, it's as pure as the magical pre-Prohibition cocktails from 1890-1910) and their activity isn't in violation with the law. And, while flappers were once thought of as a new breed of women, changing the scene for traditional females, if I were to arrive in my flapper dress, I think they'd quickly change the password and deny me.