Basically, what you're looking for is to look sharp, but not look like you're trying to look sharp, so make the best of the conservative look. For men, wear a dark grey or blue suit--single breasted. And for God's sake, don't button the bottom button of a three or two button jacket (three is better). Make sure you're wearing a nice shirt with tabs (not buttons) in the collar and enough room for a good knot (I like the half-windsor) but not an extreme spread collar. Solid colors are best. Light grey, blue or white is good. French cuffs are a little showy. Don't tie a four-in-hand, it's tacky. And make sure the two corners on the left and right of the bottom of your tie (which is a nice somewhat shiny silk with a pattern, no boats) are even with the top of your belt buckle. Make sure your shirt doesn't bunch up in the front. The biggest mistake I see applicants make is to wear shoes that are too casual. Your shoes should have leather soles, round tips (not square) and thin leather. The built up cushioning of a shoe made for comfortable walking like Rockports or Eccos (I happen to love my Ecco loafers for more casual use) is great for walking but doesn't look as sharp as a true dress shoe. Nordstrom sells a good basic dress shoe that's not too expensive. Black or dark brown for a grey suit and dark brown for a navy blue suit. Your belt should match. Oh, and shine your shoes, duh.
In my experience, there tend to be many more failures among men than women. The biggest was a short guy in a brown doublebreasted pinstriped suit with a big spread collar housing a crappy knot of a very ugly tie. His head had so much product it was like an oil slick.
good luck to you getting off those waitlists!!!
