By Fabiana Yu Photographs by Eric Sueyoshi
Glancing at the huge posters featuring confident women in power suits in the storefront of Susanna Beverly Hills’ boutique, you can’t help but picture Hillary Rodham Clinton in one of the stylish numbers. After all, the former presidential candidate and now Secretary of State came to epitomize the pant suit throughout her campaign appearances last year. In reality, the connection isn’t in vain. Most of the signature looks of the then presidential contender — think tangerine suit at the Democratic National Convention or the canary one she wore during the campaign — were made from start to finish at this location, one floor above, thanks to the vision of designer Susanna Chung Forest.
“We deal with a very tiny world,” says Forest, owner of this haute couture boutique on South Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills, where she’s been for 32 years. In addition to Clinton, her clients include some of the world’s most powerful women: CEOs, politicians, judges, business owners, Fortune 400 members, royalty and the wives of Hollywood elite such as Barbara Sinatra, the wife of the late iconic singer. And the price tags for these pieces, in the thousands, reflect this very exclusive clientele. A clientele that incidentally does not shy away from confidence or power.
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“I design what is best for the woman to become successful, to give her power,” Forest says, her voice full of passion. In fact, she sees her designs as vehicles for empowering women. “I am behind these very powerful women who became more successful because of the looks that I create and design for them.”
At the same time, her inspirations include the classic styles of Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn, with an emphasis on elegance and femininity. Her collections create a soft but sharp look, never compromising womanhood, never showing too much or too little skin.
It’s a fine balance that Forest seems to have perfected over more than three decades of experience as a designer. The driving philosophy is that women should never underestimate their appearance. A woman competing in a man’s world has a greater chance at succeeding if she feels confident and secure, Forest believes, and the right clothes can instill those qualities in her.
Forest is also driven by a dedication to perfection. With each outfit custom-made, Forest goes through a rigorous and time-intensive process. A team of 15 to 20 employees meticulously cut, sew, alter and press anything bearing a “Susanna Beverly Hills” label. Each client has her own mannequin custom padded after multiple fittings to ensure that the clothes, most of which are shipped overseas, fit perfectly every time.
“We don’t rush these clothes,” Forest says. “The image [of these women] has to be picture perfect.”
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That’s a term Forest has grown fond of ever since receiving a letter from her highest-profile customer. In a thank-you note dated July of last year, Secretary of State Clinton wrote to the designer, “Your hard work, professionalism and wonderful designs kept me comfortable, picture perfect and feeling great!”
Forest met Clinton during a 2007 campaign fundraiser and has since designed various looks for the nation’s highest-ranking diplomat, who wore Susanna’s designs during her recent trips to Asia. “One on one, she’s someone you’d like to have coffee with,” Forest says. “So comfortable, very inviting.”
Working from the same boutique store she opened in 1976, the Korean-born mother and wife draws on her experience as a costume designer in the 1980s, when she designed for hit films and shows like Basic Instinct, Moonlighting and Loveboat. When dressing clients now, Forest says she imagines each woman in a movie. “I look at it like a movie script, based on what you do and what environment you work in. I study you and look at your lifestyle.” She also considers the multiple roles that women play as mothers, wives and professionals.
Although her clientele in recent years has tended to be the more experienced woman with a sizable bank account, Forest has her eyes set these days on starting an affordable retail line that will connect with a younger profile — the Chelsea Clintons, if you will.
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As much as she enjoys designing for an exclusive high-end clientele, Forest says she cannot forget her humble roots. She remembers living in poverty-stricken, post-war Korea as a young child and dreaming of a brighter future. She also remembers hitting rock-bottom after a work-related injury in her early years as an independent designer left her in debt, living out of her car, and immobilized in a wheel chair.
“God sent me from Korea to here, and there must be a reason for that,” says Forest, who immigrated to Paris, France, before moving to New York and then to California. “I’d like to pay back somehow and I would like to share my success with [others].”
Her new retail line to debut at the end of the year will target women aged 22 to 35, with suits priced in the $100 range. “I want to teach them how to wear the right clothes when they’re looking for jobs,” says Forest, who flinches at the idea of women sporting casual, trendy outfits to a job interview.
The girl from Korea once awe-struck by the beautiful clothes she used to see in European magazines also plans to return to the Hollywood scene, hoping to design for shows like 90210 and Lipstick Jungle, and get her designs on the Red Carpet.
“Now hopefully I can design for women from all walks of life,” says Forest. “It’s very exciting.”
