An Oral History of Bungalow 8, New York’s Legendary Nightclub

Plus: The 84-Year-Old Royal Mystery of Queen Elizabeth’s Uncle

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August 28, 2026

I edited a story in last year’s Hollywood Issue that’s near and dear to my heart: an oral history of Los Angeles nightlife in the 2000s, the era of Juicy Couture and The Simple Life and Razr phones and that infamous “bimbo summit.” Today, VF presents a spiritual sequel to that page-turner: an oral history of Bungalow 8, the East Coast’s answer to Hyde and Teddy’s. Like the first, this one was written by Derek C. Blasberg, and like that one, it’s also stuffed with juicy details about the era’s biggest boldface names. But the story’s real star is Amy Sacco, who launched Bungalow 8 in 2001 and was “the den mother to so many of us knuckleheads who thought that Bungalow 8 was our personal watering hole,” according to George Clooney. And he would know. Elsewhere, Derek muses about a stylish extinct species: the worst-dressed list; Savannah Walsh goes deep on the newest Netflix true crime doc, Death of the Pastor’s Wife; and Chris Feil is here to save you from the endless scroll by recommending what movie you should watch on Netflix next. More tomorrow!

HILLARY BUSIS FEATURES EDITOR

Bungalow 8, the Nightclub That Changed New York

By Derek C. Blasberg

In the early aughts, everyone who was anyone (and those who wanted to be) packed into Amy Sacco’s Chelsea nightclub—think George Clooney, Sting, and Demi Moore. Derek C. Blasberg talks to the designers, artists, moguls, and aspiring somebodies who crowded the banquettes to light up, get close, and shut it down.

Why this ad?

STYLE   Whatever Happened to Worst-Dressed Lists?   By Derek C. Blasberg   As fashion appears to have entered its participation-trophy era, one writer asks, at what point did being sartorially critical become passé? Read more

NOW STREAMING   The 25 Best Movies on Netflix to Watch in September 2026   By Chris Feil   From comedy classics to recent Oscar winners, these are the titles you don’t want to miss. Read more

Why this ad?

How the Lindsay Clancy and Gabby Petito Cases Unlock Mica Miller Documentary Death of the Pastor’s Wife   By Savannah Walsh   The filmmakers behind a new Netflix docuseries unpack a marital horror story that ends in death—and the important mental health message they want the true crime genre’s predominantly female audience to hear. Read more

King Harald V of Norway Dies at 89 Born into war and raised in exile in the United States, the king transformed and popularized the Norwegian monarchy by marrying a commoner. He died the day before his 58th wedding anniversary to Queen Sonja.

The 84-Year-Old Royal Mystery of Queen Elizabeth’s Uncle, Prince George, Duke of Kent The uncle of Queen Elizabeth II died at 39 in a mysterious plane crash. His descendants use his title to this day.

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