I had to delurk just because of this thread.
I'm not an expert my any means, but many of you are being far too rigid and closeminded in your options. Style is something that necessarily entails a certain amount of personal leeway, the way you dress should convey something about who you are. Wearing a black suit with a blue tie and a blue shirt just says you are afraid to take a chance.
There is a gradient that runs from boring to gaudy. It seems as though most people are afraid they will look gaudy, and are thus fleeing to the other end of the spectrum. You can look good, conservative, and professional, all without becoming a sheep.
A few bullet points that stick out to me-
1) The suit matters. I've owned suits from $75 to $800 dollars, and while very few have been what I would call "bad", there is definitely a trend wherein you get what you pay for. All suits need to be tailored, but a good suit usually needs to be tailored less, and will look better given the exact same alterations. Other than that, there are a few differences that a high end suit offers, but these will only people noticed by people who know suits. Hand attached sleeves, horn buttons, stitching, pattern matching etc. Everyone else will be impressed, but they won't be able to pinpoint why exactly they are impressed.
2) From above, all suits do need to be tailored, at least a little bit. For everyone the specific alterations are different, but at the very least the trousers will need to be hemmed. For something small like that, a department store tailor will do a fine job, but for anything large, I would recommend an out of house professional tailor. A great tailor can make an average suit really shine, but conversely a poor tailor can ruin a very nice suit. Anything that involves the structure of the suit itself I would have done outside.
3) Again off the first point- while there is a correlation between price and quality, you want to avoid just looking at a high end label and thinking- oh this is a good suit. Each designer cuts to their own shape, and the shape they use may not work on your body. Armani and Paul Smith make very nice suits, but they just are not cut for my frame. This does not apply to just high end suits, no matter what your price range, shop around and try on many different labels. Eventually you will find something that fits you well.
4)Colors. Personally I'm not a fan of black, I think it's too heavy, too formal, and too depressing. Nor am I a fan of navy, as it just seems to be everyones go-to color. Greys are very nice, particularly light greys. Others have said tans and browns are unacceptable, and here I have to disagree. A tan or brown suit is a great choice, provided the fabric is nice.
5) Shirts- Stay with pale colors. Clean, crisp white is great and hardly ever fails, but don't be afraid to deviate. I would recommend very pale greens, pinks and blues. But make sure they really are pale, I'm talking so light as if they simply look like a tinted white. I'm not against patterns, but it's hit and miss, so I would be careful and get an opinion on the individual shirt.
6) Ties- Just stay classy is the best advice. Nothing horribly loud or shouty. You can go with a plain solid color, or a pattern, just so long as it stays rather conservative. I personally am a fan of larger knots, but it really depends on the size of your collar.
7) Cufflinks- 90% of my shirts are cufflinked. I really do not think it's a problem, and I doubt your adcom will think are pretentious for wearing them.
8) Socks- Match them to the pants.
9) Belts and Shoes- Always match the shoes to the belt. A plain stainless steel buckle with a brushed finish is a solid bet. Laced shoes, pointed toes.
And just to show you that you can look conservative without looking like a clone, here's what I plan on wearing when I start interviewing. As you can see the suit is brown, the shirt is a woven pattern( I would actually go with a smooth shirt at the interview, but it's what I saw in the closet), the tie is patterned and done in a large knot, and there are cufflinks.
Closeup of the fabrics
I apologize for the filthy mirror and the myspace style pictures.
😀