The Subterfuge Set enjoying cocktails at The Sorrento Hotel

A little birdie must be getting around, because without any form of advertisement save word-of-inside-mouth, the Sorrento Cocktail Party exploded on Tuesday, October 28th with it’s largest gathering to-date of officially A-list party-goers, trend-setters, and subterfuge set bellwethers. On one of those cleanly cold nights that only October can create, Subterfuge contributors Breonie Baylov, Trenton Flock, newcomer David Oh, Molly Bennett, Sarah Takako Skinner, and chief trailblazer Sarah Elizabeth Caples cozied up on a pair of  vintage, over-sized loveseats tucked into the cocktail lounge off Madison Avenue, inside the antique-chic Sorrento Hotel.

Author Ric Merrifield, Sarah Caples, and Subterfuge intern David Oh and Copy Editor Bre Baylov 

Bravo! Club Board member Ryan Miller Barnes and Subterfuge Contributor T.s. Flock

They talked shop as they sipped Vodka-Crans, and watched as the business suits trickled out and the party-goers simmered in. Flock engaged the ladies with tales enveloped in his signature laugh, which sounds delightfully haughty when it echoes out of this truly warm-hearted individual. Shortly after 7pm interior-designer, and active member of Providence O’ Christmas Trees, Phillip Sternola, arrived exuding a genuine warmth that has made him a welcome staple to any such gathering.  The hotel has become known as the go-to hangout spot for several prominent names in Seattle in the past six months; more than partly due to Caples’ capital cocktail-parties held there once a month. This wasn’t made more clear than when author of ReThink, Ric Merrifield entered the room, maintaining a constant air of professionalism and confidence even when shaking hands with his friend and hostess, and making new acquaintances at this penthouse-street confection. Dapper and gracious, Merrifield was seen making the rounds with the tact of a network-veteran. Paralleling his spotless style was Scott Rabinowitz, the truly charming consultant and owner of Banya 5. Surrounded by a pair of blonds as he chatted up the hostess, and his friend, Ms. Caples, one gets the feeling that Rabinowitz is used to attention of the female variety. Shortly before 8pm, elegant Barney’s brass, Anne G. Smith; a woman who effuses fashion-forwardness from her deliberate single silver-highlight to her refined style, situated herself near a center table as she chatted up the other guests.

Barney's Anne G. Smith

Whin W'Him's Lucien Postlewaite and Olivier Wevers

 Sometime before 9, the room was suddenly brimming with a refreshing, and riveting bunch of party-people from all walks of life. One of Seattle’s most coveted bachelors, handsome polo-player, Cameron Smith, arrived looking impossibly put-together for someone fresh off a whirlwind trip that included spending-spree-fueled stops in both London and Barcelona. Such is the life of a jet-setter and owner of one of the fastest growing private companies named by The Puget Sound Business Journal, Product Creation Studios. Then again, the perks of such a lifestyle include dating perfect-10 model-types, so maybe it’s no wonder Smith still has energy to burn. Speaking of model-types, compellingly talented dancer and entrepreneur of Whim W'him, Olivier Wevers, dazzled many with his out-of-this-century charm and courtly social graces when he arrived with his handsome husband, Lucien Postlewaite. He was seen cozying up for a photo-op with edgy-cool photog Sarah Skinner, who herself glowed in a vintage red, satin dress with an almost kimono-inspired feel. She was later spotted perched on the edge of one of the Sorrento’s antique wooden chairs next to Sternola, as the two listened in on a story told by the positively charismatic Joe Murphey. The group was later seen with Seattle socialite Avian King, the downright stunning Roxanna Forenza, and aspiring stylist Sarah Butler, who arrived with her equally fetching friend, Andrew Hoge.

Joe Murphey, Philip Sternola, Sarah Butler, and Andrew Hoge

Sheldon Rosevear was spied at the next table over, and in his classically cool nature he sat confidently solo, letting the partiers come to him - which they did. The award winning green-friendly writer has this essence about him which reminds of a celebrity, or at the very least a really cool friend of Andy Warhol’s. He was later caught in a photograph with Josh Sternberg, and soccer aficionado, Tim Gill, who has invented an entire line of goal-posts for the sport. Amplifying the "cool" factor was the one and only Madame Vyvyn Lazonga, one of the first self-sustained female tattoo artists on the West Coast. A woman so cool that even her birth name is stage-name worthy; Beverly Bean. Vyvyn, who has won multiple awards for her artwork and been associated with the likes of Ed Hardy and Horiyoshi III, arrived with her gracious friends, twin sisters Stephanie Lavarello and Kimberly Lavarello. Also making appearances were Bravo! Club board members Marianna Veress, Trent Jackson, and Ryan Miller Barnes.

Trent Jackson, artist Josh Sternberg, Ecopreneur Sheldon Rosevear, and Tim Gill

Caples surely knows how to pick those that she keeps in her inner circle; hot off the heels of what could have been a mini-scandal if it weren’t for her gracious and PR-savvy nature, Volterra owner and dear friend of Ms. Caples, Michelle Quisenberry , arrived looking cutting-edge in a zebra-print blazer. Recently, Quisenberry and her celebrity-chef husband, Don Curtiss, found themselves in the middle of a trademark drama concerning their restaurant, and oddly enough - the tween vampire-series, Twilight. Aspiring restaurateurs in Forks, Washington - where the popular series takes place - were looking to capitalize on the Volterra name; not quite realizing Quisenberry and Curtiss had long beat them to the punch with the extremely successful Seattle hotspot - the same chic hotspot that Rachel Ray named her favorite place to dine in Seattle. But true to their nature the accommodating couple is contributing a Volterra-approved dish especially for the budding Forks eatery, thus squashing the debacle before it ever was one. Quisenberry was later seen hanging with her hostess and fellow hotshot Pete Wright, owner of Urban Influence and another of Seattle’s most sought-after singles. Though a warning to the ladies, if you are lucky enough to run into this handsome bachelor you better capitalize on your time with him, because he’s never actually in Seattle for any length of time. Though word is he threw one of the hottest Halloween pre-functions in the city. 

Socialite Roxana Forenza, Sarah Caples, and Volterra Restaurant's Michelle Quisenberry

“VIP” may as well have been the theme of this networking social scene as the President of Commerce Bridge Co, LLC, John Otter, was cozying up to his amour Dena Rigby in another candid photo-opportunity around the corner. Otter, son of Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter, may have just found his companion-in-accomplishments in Rigby. Not only is Rigby the curator for the Winston Wachter Fine Art Gallery, but also a consultant savvy in the Seattle, Portland and L.A. art scenes Dina Rigby Fine Arts, as well as being Subterfuge "BackRoom" contributor. Rigby has an uncanny eye for both pieces mesmerizing in their alterity, and those timelessly beautiful.

John Otter and Dena Rigby

Subterfuge Contributor Molly Bennett

PNB principal dancer and Whim W'Him Creator, Olivier Wevers and Sarah Caples

Charles

Photographer Sarah Skinner