Uniformity: Marc De Beer, GM, Hilton Wangfujing

Uniformity is a regular magazine column where we ask Beijing personalities about the various outfits that have defined them over the years.

Which of these uniforms would you say was the most flattering?
When I was 14, my parents allowed me for the first time to work in their restaurant serving guests. I was given black pants, a white shirt, black bow tie and a white “dinner jacket.” I felt like James Bond! It made me so proud to be wearing it.

Are there any uniforms that you almost wore?
Following graduation, I was off to New York for my first job: Management Trainee at a large hotel. By going to New York, I incidentally avoided wearing a military uniform, as at that time military service was still compulsory for male Dutch citizens residing in the EU.

Which uniform was the worst fit?
When I was assigned to work as a houseman in Banquets at that hotel, I had to wear a pair of dark green pants and a green-and-white striped polyester shirt. With the pants a good two inches too short, I felt really bad.

Did you ever ruin any uniforms?
As a storeroom clerk in New York, my uniform was a simple white lab coat that I would wear over my own clothes. As I had a work pager clipped to my belt (remember, this is in the early ’90s), every time I had to get to it I ripped the slits of the lab coat a little, so by the end of my three-month stint the lab coat was ready for the rubbish bin.

Did a uniform ever make you feel out of place?
The only time I felt awkward was last January in my Han dynasty costume at the Temple of Heaven, when we were making a “Gong Xi Fa Cai” video message. We were drawing quite a crowd and many locals could not stop taking photographs of me in the emperor’s outfit. I wonder if I ended up on Weibo!

Which uniform did you have the most fun in?
My cowboy outfit, complete with leather chaps – when I played Slim in the Beijing Playhouse production of Oklahoma! Following a rigorous three-month rehearsal schedule, it was exhilarating to perform with a group of talented and dedicated people who had become good friends.

Which uniform were you most mocked for wearing?
At 12 years old, I started horse riding competitively. Our club’s uniform consisted of white riding pants, a white shirt and a blue logoed sweater (plus hat and boots, of course). Some kids said that the tight horse riding pants made me look like a girl.

See Mr. De Beer dazzle at the Hilton Wangfujing.

This article originally appeared on page 49 in the February issue of the Beijinger.

Photo courtesy of Hilton Wangfujing