Suit Geek n.12 Mr. Gao Peng

“Suit Geek” is PRINCIPLE M's original feature column where each month we reach out to one of our loyal customers & friends and ask him to share stories about his clothing, life, and his unique point of view on gentlemen's style. Click '#Suit Geek' above to read previous interviews.

For our 12th interview, we invited Mr. Gao Peng from Bar Roost. Mr. Gao is not only our client, also did some collaborations with us together including a cocktail-tasting event in the winter of 2019. His bar is a regular spot for us, just 2 minutes away from the shop. Sometimes, we go there after work, chat a little bit or just kill some time doing nothing in particular.

This interview is a bit different from the previous ones. Instead of being a Q&A, it's more like an early-evening conversation among several gentlemen, and some interesting things randomly happened that night. We talk about suits, drinks and more about drinks. So, you might want to pour a glass for yourself while reading today's post.

WHY WEAR SUITS TO WORK?

Justin: why do you wear suits in your bar? Is it because you like it or just for work?

Mr. Gao: For work, mostly. But, I also like and enjoy wearing suits. If I’m standing over here working at the bar without a suit, I won’t feel the same. Probably, I can’t even make cocktails. It’s more about the formality and the presentation at work. Suits will make you achieve that.

Jamen: I do think this (bartending) is the kind of job that requires a sense of formality, almost like a performing art.

Mr. Gao: Wearing suits for me means I’m in the work mode. It elevates your style and also fits the occasion. But, when I’m not at work, I hardly wear suits. I want to separate my private life from my job. Otherwise, it would make me feel a little bit exhausted like I'm still at work.

PM bespoke single-breasted suit using Alfred Brown's fabric commissioned by Mr.Gao in Dec 2020

Justin: Why do you choose to get tailor-made suits?

Mr. Gao: As a bartender, I’m always in action: bending over to reach stuff, getting ice in the freezer, and shaking a cocktail, etc. Wearing this bespoke suit gives me enough mobility to do my job. For example, the design of the armhole gives enough allowance for me to lift my arm and that’s very important for me. I want to dress nicely, but comfort and functionality always come first.

Jamen: Comfortability comes first, then dress nicely. But obviously, people can’t tell if you’re comfortable enough or not, only you can be the judge of that.

Mr. Gao: I agree. On the first day I wore this suit, I texted Jamen and told him how comfortable I felt in it. I was in a pleasant mood all day!

Mr. Gao making a cocktail

SUITS, DRINKS, AND TO DRINK MORE

At PM, all of us have known Mr. Gao for a while now. But, we didn't know that Mr. Gao has an account on Bilibili and tons of followers (60k). He uses his account to share videos of him making classic cocktails.

Justin: What is your favorite cocktail?

Mr. Gao: Dry Martini.

Jamen: Then, I’ll have a dry martini.

Mr. Gao: Martini is a very classic and famous drink, also one of the drinks I knew in the beginning, so I learned how to make this one first. Then, I fell in love with it.

Mr. Gao is stirring the Martini, which intrigues Justin.

Justin: You know how James Bond always says, "Shaken, not stirred."

Mr. Gao: I guess he can't drink much.

Justin: why?

Mr. Gao: Stirring and shaking are fundamentally different. If you shake it, you’re breaking it up, diluting the drink in a hard way and you will lose some flavors of the liquor in the process. Cocktails including juice or syrup like Side Car and One Lady normally should be done by shaking, because you want to mix up all the ingredients quickly. However, for drinks like Martini, we use two kinds of liquors to make it and they are pretty similar in taste, so you can just blend it by stirring.

Mr. Gao: You usually finish it in 3 sips, but you’re welcome to drink it all at once! Haha.

Justin didn't drink it up all at once, but he ordered another one. Then, he asked Mr. Gao when he should eat the olive.

Mr. Gao: The olive? Doesn't matter. Have it whenever you feel like it.

“Shaken, not stirred."

Jamen: I think what bartenders wear matters. For me, when I go to a bar or a restaurant, if I see a bartender or a service person dressed nicely, I would think it makes sense that this place is more expensive than others. I come here to spend my money, not just for the food and the wine; it is for a whole experience.

Justin: It reminds me of the bar Gilli’s in Firenze we go during Pitti Uomo. It was the place that everybody would end up during Pitti Uomo at the end of the night. It is nicely furnished with wood, which gives nice retro feelings to the bar. In the daytime, it serves coffee and beer, in the night-time it switches to a bar. There is a big outdoor terrace and it's located in Piazza della Republica. The thing that strikes me most is the servers; they are all middle-aged gentlemen and they dress miraculously well. They always wear a white shirt and a tie or a bow tie. You just go there and you see those guys working in sync. That’s cool and makes you want to revisit soon.

Mr. Gao: Yes. By dressing nicely and elegantly, I also want to show respect to my customers.

Justin: I think we dress not only for our own sake, but it is also for the people around you, for the ones who you meet. I spend time on my clothes in the morning, and go to work in a nice outfit. It’s not just for me and my customers, but also for the people who work with me and the people I meet in the building. Then again, it's mutual respect.

Mr. Gao Peng at Bar Roost

The phone rings, and Mr. Gao goes to pick up the phone. He later explains to us that a customer called and asked for the opening hours during the Spring Festival, said he wanted to make an appointment, and asked if there is a dress code.

Mr. Gao seemed very surprised. He said nowadays not a lot of people would call to make an appointment and ask about the dress code, “sounded like a polite guy.”

Jamen: Those who show up, dress clean and elegantly at the shop, they will also leave me a good impression, and I also want to serve them well.

Mr. Gao: Yes, I agree. It is very straightforward, and very hard to ignore.

Jamen: Then again, it’s not something you can simply ask someone to do; you can only behave yourself, dress well, and then gradually influence the people around you.

Jamen then orders another drink, and we all have another round.

PM MTM Fresco Suit Commissioned by Mr.Gao in 2019

Mr. Gao says he is a pretty boring person. He doesn't have any hobbies, just fond of cocktails and other drinks , He likes Martini and Baiju.

When asked about his cooking skills, his assistant answers in advance, "he cooks rice and knows how to make soup."

When asked if he likes any movies, he kind of jokes about it, "Godfather. You know, when I was young, I went online and search, 'what movies a mature man should watch', then I got 'Godfather', that was how I watched it. Haha."

Mr. Gao was invited to collaborate with PM for a cocktail tasting party 2019.11

So we went back to talking about clothes. Mr. Gao explains to us why he chose this outfit today.

Mr. Gao: I wore this today because I didn’t wear this one yesterday, haha. Professor Zhu (Jamen) says you should let your clothes take some rest.

Mr. Gao: However, Professor Zhu also says, the most important thing is to be happy. So, I dress whatever I feel like!

Bar Roost is located on the ground floor of the Genasi building, it is on the side facing Jin Shang. It’s not very easy to find, kind of like a speak-easy bar, just look for the sign "Bar Roost" on the door. Also, making an appointment in advance is recommended.