San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
FAREWELL TO SUNO OSTERWEIS
Longtime San Francisco philanthropist Suno Kay Osterweis, for whom her son named his now-closed Suno clothing line, died Dec. 27 at her home in Beverly Hills a chronic lung ailment. Osterweis, 75, was known in San Francisco as a regular presence on the city’s social scene, and had been a major donor and trustee at the Asian Art Museum since 1990.
“Suno’s enthusiasm for the Asian Art Museum inspires all of us, and her warm encouragement helped to nourish and sustain me as a leader,” Asian Art Museum director Jay Xu told The Chronicle in an email. “I miss her terribly and will treasure her memory forever.” Osterweis was born Suno Kay on May 18, 1943, in Manchuria, China, where her Korean father and mother were living. Osterweis’ former husband John Osterweis (the couple were married for 25 years before divorcing) said the Kay family was in Manchuria to escape the Japanese occupation of Korea and that Suno’s father, Inju Kay, was the head of South Korean intelligence and worked closely with Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War. She was raised in Tokyo and met John Osterweis when they were students at UC Berkeley. Osterweis later completed a master’s degree in East Asian studies at Stanford University.
“Suno was totally devoted to Asian art, but she also always had an interest in fashion,” John Osterweis said. “When we were married she got Vogue in six languages.” Osterweis was also well known for her eclectic personal style that mixed Asian and Western aesthetics, an international melding that Osterweis’ son Max referenced in the Suno clothing line.
“She taught me everything I knew about fashion and style,” said her son, Max Osterweis. “She was fearless in life and in the way she wore things. She was like a Bond girl all grown up — she was so glamorous and dramatic in the most wonderful way.”
In addition to her former husband and son, Osterweis is survived by her daughter, Ariel, and four grandchildren. A public memorial at the Asian Art Museum will be announced at a later date.
RIP Robert Williams: Former model and society figure Tatiana Sorokko has sent word that San Francisco makeup artist Robert Williams died over the Christmas holidays. Williams, a favorite of San Francisco’s gala swans recognizable by his signature long hair braid, was a veteran artist of the fashion weeks in New York and Milan who worked with models including Naomi Campbell. Sorokko, a longtime friend, said Williams worked as a makeup artist for Saks Fifth Avenue in Union
Suno Kay Osterweis (left) and Akiko Yamazaki at a recent gala. Osterweis and Asian Art Museum director Jay Xu. She was a trustee and major supporter of the museum.
Square for 25 years, and was at one time the director of makeup for the store’s Fifth Avenue Club. He more recently worked for Bloomingdale’s. “All the ladies in the city went to him,” says Sorokko. “I worked with the best people in my career; Robert knew more than anyone. He knew contouring before it was popular.” A memorial for Williams is planned for 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10 at St. Patrick’s Church (756 Mission St.). Robert Williams at work in 2005 at Saks Fifth Avenue.