LIT FROM WITHIN

SOCIALITE AND ENTREPRENEUR SUSANNA KANG CAN ALWAYS BE TRUSTED TO BE THE LIFE OF ANY PARTY. HAVING RECENTLY CELEBRATED HER 60TH BIRTHDAY, HOWEVER, THE FASHION ICON IS NOW FOCUSED ON NURTURING HER SOUL AS WELL.

- LYNETTE KOH

To those who follow the local society scene, socialite and entrepreneur Susanna Kang might seem like the quintessential party animal. After all, she is often at the biggest bashes in town, at which she invariably makes her larger-than-life presence felt. This is not least because of her delightfully flamboyant sense of style, which is well documented and symbolised by the countless times she has made Best Dressed lists.

Think a top-to-toe leopard-print outfit complete with an outsized furry cape, or an ensemble including a Frederick Lee couture dress with all-over feathers, over-the-knee boots and a bow-shaped hat. All, of course, tastefully accented with statement jewellery.

Some of the most memorable of these parties, in fact, are thrown by the society fixture herself. To mark her 60th birthday last December, Susanna took 100 of her friends to Bangkok for a three-day celebration. The bash involved lavish feasts, specially chartered tuk-tuks for the entire entourage, and performances by traditional dancers as well as drag queens. The birthday girl was the vivacious epicentre of this party, dancing the nights away in feather boaaccessorised outfits.

It almost comes as a surprise, then, when Susanna shares that that was actually the first time she had thrown herself a birthday party. On a quiet August afternoon at her home in Bukit Timah, she elaborates, in her soothingly husky voice, "My mother-in-law and I share the same birthday, so every year I organise a party for her, rather than for myself." With a laugh, she adds, "I'm just a tag-along."

QUIET MOMENTS OF REFLECTION