By: Cameron Knight
Hollywood, CA (The Hollywood Times) 10/19/2026 – The Houston brothers know how to build a room. After covering their MTV VMA after-party at Level 8 last month, I found myself at another of their venues, Say Yes, on Wilcox Avenue in Hollywood. On October 18, Affinity Nightlife hosted a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show after-party there, which also served as a grand-opening celebration for the club from Mark and Jonnie Houston.
I walked through a small back hallway that opened into a room with high ceilings, gold trim and a look that immediately reminded me of the Pantages Theatre. Golden peacocks, blue velvet, marble, feathers and giant golden bubbles filled the space. Small statues held illuminated globes, while bartenders and servers dressed in suspenders, bow ties and arm garters completed the 1920s look.
What I liked was that they stayed true to the aesthetic. There were no giant video screens or flashing laser lights. Instead, cozy couches, warm lighting and framed photographs of Hollywood legends like Sean Connery and Marlon Brando gave the place the feel of an old Hollywood lounge rather than an industrial nightclub. Walkways and platforms surrounded the dance floor, with a vaudeville-style stage lined with footlights. A giant champagne glass looked big enough for someone to perform inside. I didn’t see anyone try, but it looked the part.
The guests were getting into the spirit, too. Quite a few wore tiny angel wings in tribute to the famous Angels, and plenty of others came in sparkle, dressed up and living out their own Victoria’s Secret moments.
Among the people I met was Lilianna Elizondo, a longtime Victoria’s Secret fan who had won a sweepstakes to attend the fashion show. For her, it was a childhood dream come true.
“Oh my God, I was on cloud nine. I was in heaven. I was over the moon,” she told me when I asked how she felt about winning.
She had won little things before, but nothing quite like this. When I asked about the show itself, she was still beaming.
“It was beautiful. It was dazzling, striking. It was pink, glitter,” she said. “My heaven looks like that. I don’t know about anybody else, but it was everything in my eyes.”
She told me she cried as soon as the show started. Even at the after-party, the excitement had not worn off.
“I mean, I’m still on cloud nine.”
The energy picked up another notch when DJ Allie M, Allison Mathis, took the stage. Her beats kept the party moving, and she wasn’t up there alone. A group of women joined her onstage, where chairs and tables made the whole setup look like its own private VIP party overlooking the dance floor.
I also recognized a familiar face from the MTV after-party at Level 8. I’d spotted Sage Stevens there but never had the chance to speak with her. This time, I was not going to miss the opportunity.
Sage, an actress, producer and host of Shout Out with Sage on StreamInn Hub Radio, remembered the space from before it was Say Yes. The venue occupies the former Sayers Club location.
“Well, it’s a reincarnation,” she told me. “For those of us that have been in L.A. a little while, we know what it was before. I won’t say it, but yeah, it was fabulous then, and so hopefully it will be a reincarnation that’s just as fabulous as what it was before.”
When I asked what brought her out that night, her answer was simple.
“Well, it is the Victoria’s Secret after-party, so you have to go out.”
Sage also told me about No Angels in Hollywood, a project she’s producing and co-directing, with a proof-of-concept short already filmed.
As I made my way through the crowd, I spotted a man standing head and shoulders above everyone else. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him. As I got closer, it clicked. It was Chris Seeley from Love Island USA. I stopped to ask what he thought of the night and what he’d tell his friends about Say Yes.
“I would tell them if you were looking for a grown, mature, kind of like lounge-type of vibe with some good music, make sure you come slide through, for sure,” he said.
I was ready to call it a night, but Say Yes was far from finished. With more DJs still scheduled to perform, the party was only getting started. Outside, a long line of people was still waiting to get in. It seemed everyone wanted to say yes to a night out in Hollywood.
