Friday nightโs White Party, which has become a raison dโรชtre for Spoleto party-goers, was a party that refused to die. Many of the bars just a few blocks away on East Bay Street had closed their doors before the last guest left the venue. And what a venue is was. 80 East Bay Street was another take-your-breath-away South of Broad party location (and coincidentally another one thatโs on the market.)
The homeโs artisan kitchen was commandeered by a catering staff that sent out platter upon platter of chocolate confections. (Sin #1 at a White party.) Two bars at each end of the house served up cocktails to revelers, among them Spanish Vines wines. (Which of course leads to sin #2 at a White party, ordering a glass of tempranillo.) A fun topic of conversation was pondering the thought process of the few attendants who chose to not wear white. A couple of favorite answers: * โBut Iโm special.” * โAll my whiteโs at the dry cleaner.โ * โI lost my virginity last month, so I donโt need to wear white anymore.โ
(Needless to say, wearing a brown dress to a White party, yep, itโs sin #3.)
The crowd was youthful and energetic, whether taking advantage of the indoor air conditioning or lounging in the backyard amongst the tea light lanterns and large garden fountain. The most confounding thing was that the โdance floorโ was set up in the room leading out to the back patio. As the DJ booth finally started to pack a punch around 12:30 a.m., the movements that it inspired were repeatedly interrupted by an endless flow of foot traffic.
One overheard comment was that the Spoleto SCENE may be in need of some fresh blood. From Mondayโs Dogugaeshi Pre-Party to Thursdayโs after-party at Shine, the faces in the crowd became increasingly familiar. While such an infusion might be nice, the current stable of SCENE members certainly doesnโt need any help with keeping a party going. The party flirted with 2:30 a.m. for some attendees. Some of us, however, didnโt have such endurance. Find more photos at City Paper’s Flickr page.


