Suit Geek n.13 Mr. Diao Yan

“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 his clothing, life, and his unique point of view on gentlemen‘s style. Click ’#Suit Geek‘ 'above to read previous interviews.

For our 13th Suit Geek interview, we invited our good friend Mr. Diao Shengyan. At PM, we have a nickname for him - we'd always call him Diao Yan. In fact, it wasn't until this interview did Justin discuss it with Mr. Diao. When they first met, Justin found 'sheng' was difficult to pronounce, so he somehow left that one character out.

"So, no one calls you Diao Yan other than us?"

"Nope, only you guys at PM call me that, haha, it's like a nickname!"

For this interview, Mr. Diao shared his life in Japan with us and how Japanese culture influenced his lifestyle, such as clothing, food, etc.

THE AFFAIR WITH SUITS, BEGINS IN JAPAN

Mr. Diao got his very first suit when he first moved to Japan, “it was for a party, and the dress code was pretty strict. You can’t get in without a suit.” he said.

Like a lot of people who get their first suit,, Mr. Diao thought that ‘the tighter, the better'. Even though the shop assistant told him to go with one size up, he still went one size down.

Mr. Diao: "I barely wore that suit again, just wasn't comfortable. After I moved back to Beijing, I still wanted to wear suits, so eventually I found you guys."

PM MTM Single-breasted Jacket using Caccioppoli's fabric commissioned by Mr. Diao in Jan.2018

Justin: How did you find us?

Mr. Diao: I wanted to buy a tie. So, I went on Google and searched “Beijing, Suit Shop, Ties”, and voila, found you guys!

Justin laughed, he said to Mr, Diao, "You're probably the only one who found us on Google.com, haha."

Mr. Diao: Actually, I didn't find your shop directly. I saw a video you posted where you and Nicolas were teaching people how to do a tie knot. Through that video I found your store.

PM MTM Single-breasted jacket using Caccioppoli's fabric commissioned by Mr. Diao in Mar, 2018

Mr. Diao: After I moved back to China, I started to work right away as a lawyer. For an entry-level lawyer, I didn’t have to meet clients or join any meetings, I was mostly doing copywriting work in the beginning. So, I didn’t have to wear suits to work every day. However, when I did, the ready-to-wear suits that I owned didn’t make me feel comfortable in them. That was exactly what confused me. Why do I spend a lot of money buying a piece of clothing that makes me feel uncomfortable. Is it really the way it is?

Mr. Diao: However, I didn’t know much about suits and bespoke tailoring at that time. I just saw your video and liked your style. The first time I visited PM, I had a very pleasant experience. I liked the atmosphere and I enjoyed our conversation. Then, I made shirts and suits. That’s how my bespoke journey began.

"I THINK COMMISSIONING TAILORED SUITS IS AN INTIMATE MATTER"

Mr. Diao: I think commissioning a tailored suit is an intimate matter. I come here. You know my exact measurements, style, what I like and what I don’t like. For me, this is very intimate.

"It’s not just shopping or trading; It’s more like a friendship and a trust. I am willing to share my information, then you tell me what is better and more suitable for me."

What Mr. Diao just told us was very interesting and profound. He also thinks that the relationship he has with the tailor is similar to his relationship with his clients as a lawyer. “I think lawyer has intimate relationships, too. The client comes to his law firm and asks for solutions for his problems, but he has to open up first and share his problems with me."

Mr. Diao's Fitting during B&Tailor Trunk Show at PRINCIPLE M, 2018.03.18

Mr. Diao: I also didn’t mind that kind of a tie that you can just wear it without knotting it by yourself. However, after a while, I learned more, I would find the pleasure and satisfaction in it . Different ways to knot your ties result in different styles. It changes with your mood, as well. If you’re not in a good mood today, your tie knot probably won’t look pretty.

Justin: I understand what you said and I agree, too.

Mr. Diao: One of my favorite pieces that I made here is a double-breasted jacket and that was probably the first time I wore something with many colours in it. I never wore a double-breasted suit before. But, after that jacket, I started liking double-breasted style and I became more willing to try more colourful clothes.

PM MTM Double-breasted Jacket using Solbiati's fabric commissioned by Mr. Diao in 2017

Justin: How do you dress yourself when you're off work?

Mr. Diao: I also wear suits when I'm off work, but mostly I would go with a jacket and a pair of trousers or jeans with a bolder style like adding a scarf or something, which is NOT something I would wear to work on weekdays.

Mr. Diao: Sometimes, I check Mr. Slowboy's blog and some other Japanese menswear bloggers on Youtube and learn from them.

Artwork by Mr. Slowboy Photo Credit: @mr.slowboy

YEBISU BEER, たそがれ清兵衛, and Chitterlings Hotpot

Mr. Diao: I cook sometimes. Normally, I have a drink in the evening and I make some small dishes to have with the drink, like Natto.

Then, Mr. Diao took out his phone, showed a picture of some dishes that he made.

Mr. Diao: There's a Japanese beer called YEBISU, I like that one a lot.

All of us looked confused when we heard the name. So, Mr. Diao took out his phone again and showed us a picture of that beer.

"You really did your 'homework'!" Justin says, surprised.

YEBISU BEER

There's no doubt that Mr. Diao's eating habit is very much influenced by Japanese people. He also taught us how to drink ASAHI Super Dry in a proper way.

Justin: ASAHI is one of my favourite beers. I notice there's a Japanese word 'karakuchi' on the can, what does that mean?

Mr. Diao: Ah, karakuchi! It’s '辛口' in Chinese. But, It doesn’t mean hot or spicy. It means more like the refreshing feeling you have when you drink, especially the feeling that it flows down from your mouth to your throat. Jamen should know it as well, sake also has 'karakuchi'.

Mr. Diao: In Japan, people would drink ASAHI Super Dry as their first drink because it's refreshing. Then, they'll begin to drink something else.

Mr. Diao at PM X Shackleton Whisky Blending Workshop 2018.03.31

Justin: Any good films that you watched lately?

Mr. Diao: I have two. One is Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, Ryuichi Sakamoto's music was fantastic in it. The other one is a Japanese film called The Twilight Samurai, which is about Japanese samurai.

Justin joked that the only film he knew about samurai was the one with Tom Cruise. Mr. Diao then asked Justin if he has any film he saw recenly that inspired him in terms of classical menswear.

Justin: I do have one actually, Martin Scorsese's Casino. The film is set in 1970s in Las Vagas, where Robert DeNiro plays a Jewish guy working at a casino. The jackets he wore in that film were very colorful, very bold and the cut was nice, which reminds me of Jamen a lot. He certainly nails the look in the film. I think it's nice to add a bit more colors into your daily wardrobe.

Mr. Diao and 'colourful' Jamen at PM annual Christmas party

Justin: Is there any place in Beijing you want to recommend to our readers?

Mr. Diao: There's a Chitterlings Hotpot joint that I love in Santitun, but there's always a queue. Every time I wore a suit to that restaurant, I would carry that smell with me to home, though. I had to hang it up in the balcony for two days to air it out, haha!

Mr. Diao: in Xinchengguoji, there's a Japanese whisky bar called Ge Lang. It is a speakeasy bar. I used to go there a lot.

Mr. Diao and another Suit Geek Mr. Stephen at PM X 座椅 barber shop event 2019.07.26

After knowing Mr. Diao for years, we realized we never really asked where his hometown is.

Mr. Diao: I was born in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. I went to elementary school and junior high in Hainan, then I went to Shanghai for college, stayed there for four years.

Justin: How do you like it here in Beijing?

Mr. Diao: I'm from the South, so it took me a while to get used to the weather here. I really don't enjoy feeling cold in the house. But, we have central heating here in Beijing unlike the South. So, I like living here.

Mr. Diao: Besides, if I didn't come to Beijing, I wouldn't have met you guys! I think we should call it 'fate'.

In fact, right after the interview, we learned that Mr. Diao is moving back to Shanghai soon, which made us kind of sad to see a good friend leave. "I can always come back!" he says to us, “and I can come to your trunk shows in Shanghai!”. Hopefully, when things get better, we'll be able to travel more often to see our friends in Shanghai and other cities in the world.