Moscow clubs are not one dress code. A tower venue in Moscow City expects a different bag and shoe than a basement set near Kitay-gorod, and the person at the door cares about shoes before he cares about your name in a chat.
Arriving in a dinner jacket at a club that wanted streetwear wastes the queue; arriving in trainers at a place that prints face control on the website wastes the whole evening. Read the door policy on the club site, then decide if the night starts there or at a restaurant that does not scan your outfit at the entrance.
Compared with strip clubs, nightlife venues sell the room and the queue, not a menu on the table. Compared with a flat hour in Presnya, the club is public until you leave — plan the address message before the second drink, not when the taxi line is already long.
Starting point for venues: TripAdvisor Moscow nightlife. Also: restaurants after ten, Kitay-gorod lanes, and Moscow Escort.