Wearing her truth: Dressing with personality

The first time this writer met Ms Karen Ong-Tan in 2023, she was gliding through a hotel in Singapore adorned with sculptural Schiaparelli cuffs and oversized statement rings.

- MS KAREN ONG-TAN

MS KAREN ONG-TAN

Then at the opening of Iconic Couture: The Art Of Timeless Elegance on April 7, she was carrying a cheeky Butt Bag by Grace Ling, the buzzy New York-based Singaporean designer.

Clearly, with the 45-year-old corporate consultant and ex-lawyer, there is never a dull fashion moment. From avant-garde to irreverent, her looks are always intentional, always memorable, and always very her.

"My choice of fashion in any setting reflects my mindset or mood, and most importantly, visually amplifies one of the many facets of my personality. Not only does this allow me to respect—by acknowledging—how I feel on any given occasion, but in doing so, I also get to present myself honestly to the people around me," she says.

Frequently landing her on best-dressed lists, Ms Ong-Tan's expansive wardrobe is not about trends or spectacle but storytelling and identity.

That relationship with fashion began at a young age.

Inspired by her mother, prominent society maven Lilian Ong, 72, whose couture archive is "the stuff of dreams", and spans five decades, including brands like Chanel, Dior, Versace, Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent, Ms Ong-Tan began curating her own collection in the early 1990s.

Then a teenager, she was particularly drawn to Chanel's fresh spin on preppy chic under former creative director Karl Lagerfeld's bold new vision for the French luxury house.

Her first couture commission? A Chanel piece, naturally.