SLUG Style: Shantelle Pace

Shantelle Pace is a bartender from Salt Lake City who has cultivated an online following for her cocktail and mocktail tips, tricks and insights. As with her approach to cocktail creation, Pace’s fashion sense evinces a willingness to experiment and eschew convention.

Every month, SLUG Style features a distinct member of the community and asks them why they do what they do. Exploring more than just clothing, SLUG Style is an attempt to feature the people who give Salt Lake City flavor through personality and panache.

SLUG: Tell us about your experiences bartending and how it has affected your sense of style. 

Shantelle Pace: Before bartending I worked a corporate job, business casual. Work to me meant you dress nice and talk “properly.” When I became a bartender I realized I had newfound freedom to actually express myself without my boss or HR dress coding me, and that freedom almost felt like a new life. It allowed me a space to experiment more on how I wanted to express myself. 

How has your personal style evolved over time?

I’ve given myself more freedom to just wear whatever tf I want, not caring what others may think. As I’m growing out my hair, I’ve experimented with a wig, wearing more men’s clothing and just doing what I want knowing that, yeah, someone might think it’s weird, but I really don’t care. 

What are your stylistic influences? This could be a band, decade, fictional character—anything.

Outspoken and confident women living outside the outdated gender norms. Think about an all-female motorcycle gang, and there you go. 

You’ve become a popular content creator around cocktails and bartending culture! What has that been like? What sort of persona do you try and curate for your work there? 

God that has been so fun and unexpected! It’s gotten to the point where I go out around SLC and every time get noticed by someone. A lot of people have loved finding a space for mocktail recipes. I try to be welcoming to everyone; a nice bev is an experience everyone deserves even if you aren’t consuming alcohol. I feel so grateful when I hear others like my content, and I want my page and myself to be a safe and enjoyable space for people to be around. 

What are your interests or hobbies outside of cocktails? What is the hobby or interest that you have that no one would realize to ask you about?

Motorcycles, roller skating and archery! I’ve got a Harley Davidson Iron Sportster 883 that brings me a refreshed love of life every spring for the first ride of the season. Two years ago I also started dressing up as Santa Clause (we call me Shanti Clause), and I’ll fill toys in my Santa sack and pass them out to kids downtown SLC and leave $2 bills around the city as well. 

Are you always “on” or would someone see you at the grocery store, for example, with less elements of your style?

Def not always on. Especially with the colder weather, I’m mostly in sweats. 

Favorite cocktail? 

Naked and famous fs. 

If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would those be? 

Goofy, passionate, ambitious

Of your overall aesthetic, what detail that says the most about you? 

Shoes and hair always.