Getting into exclusive nightclubs

Find the club. Exclusive nightclubs come and go, and what was the hottest spot in town last week might not be the place to be this week. Check entertainment listings in your local paper to find out what's going on in your city this week. Also, keep your eyes open for flyers and posters lying around the local coffee shops, restaurants and bars.

Dress to impress. When you're trying to get into a club, it's important to dress the part. Put your jeans away and take a trip to the store if necessary. Men should wear dress pants, never shorts or jeans. A solid-color dress shirt is a wardrobe staple that almost never goes wrong. T-shirts with ads or any printing on them won't do, but a clean, well-fitted, solid-color T-shirt may be good enough for some places. A good way to judge the dress code at the club is to take a look at the bouncer outside the door. If he's wearing a tie, you'd do best to at least wear a shirt with a collar. If he's wearing a T-shirt, you probably can follow his lead. Dress codes for ladies are typically less strict, but the no-jeans guideline is still a good one. Nobody, men or women, should wear tennis shoes.

Get there early. Although the party doesn't really start at most clubs until well after midnight, your best chances at getting in will be earlier. Get there before 10 p.m., before a line forms and before the bouncers start getting picky. The trendsetters won't want to be the first to arrive, so the bouncers will be more concerned about making the club look busy than with turning people away. Getting there early may also save you some money, because many clubs don't start charging a cover charge until later at night. You'll also have better chances of getting a table or a spot at the bar. The bad news is that you'll have several hours of buying pricey drinks ahead of you until the night starts to get going.

Keep the testosterone down. Ladies will not go to a club where they feel threatened, and men will not go to a club that doesn't have enough ladies. Consequently, many clubs will limit the ratio of men to women that they allow inside. Groups of men are routinely turned away unless they are accompanied by an equal number of ladies. If you and your buddies don't have any female friends to accompany you to the club, you could find yourself standing on the curb all night.

Once inside the club, men should be careful to behave appropriately. One complaint from an angry female will be enough to get you kicked to the curb, and the bouncers may not be gentle. Of course, you're at a club and there's bound to be some flirting, but make sure to stay respectful and be aware of how the people around you are reacting. If you sense someone is uncomfortable, it may be time to tone it down.

If you are turned away, don't get discouraged. You can always try again another night, when the club is less crowded. You don't have to be rich or famous to get into the best clubs, but it helps to at least look like you are. Act the part, and you may get lucky.