The club couture collection that Pierpaolo Piccioli designed for Valentino appears to have tapped into a universal yearning and nostalgia for happiness. Many people get dressed up yet have nowhere to go. The dancing culture which typically refers to supper clubs and locations such as Le Palace in Paris and London’s Blitz Club during the boom years of the 1980s, such as the infamous “rubber chicken” fundraising dinners, are largely extinct at this point.

Alexandra O’Neill of Markarian still planned her fall collection with a night out in mind. The designer’s grandmother passed away lately, and she’s thinking a lot about the memories her cherished grandma left her with. Her grandparents were regulars at Club Zanzibar in the 1940s and 1950s.

This collection, which was shown in a charming West Village home, took liberties with the time stamp by centering on the idea of a wild night out. Royal blue sequined halter dresses and matching pantsuits evoked the disco era of the 1970s. Several of the draping details on the other pieces harkened back to the 1930s, a time period that many designers are embracing this year. “It feels right because I think that people are interested in showing off their bodies, but in a more retro way,” Markarian mentioned, “and I think ’30s silhouettes were body-con.”

Despite its visual appeal, this anthology lacked a coherent narrative. There was a disconnect between the ’60s Rabanne-inspired gold paillette skirt and the gorgeous off-the-shoulder cocktail dress with a side drape in a metallic floral jacquard. Several of the most popular looks, though, aren’t even vintage. The all-white, figure-flattering numbers were both futuristic and elegant because to their combination of soft draping and embellishments.