Monika: That must have been such a fascinating dynamic to witness. Before you met her, were you already familiar with Amanda Lear’s story or reputation in Paris?
Susanna: I had little knowledge of Amanda before this; however, there was a beautiful trans woman from Paris named Carol Cabochard, who I had met earlier in San Francisco, who seemed to know about the backstory of Amanda. Carol apparently worked previously at le Caroussel and Madame Arthur – she’d once told me about how all the girls in Paris spoke about someone of their tribe who had become a successful model (but Carol remembered Amanda by her stage name at le Caroussel as ‘Peki’).
Monika: It sounds like Dalí surrounded himself with extraordinary people. Were there many other trans women in his circle at that time?
Susanna: There were other transwomen in Dali’s entourage in New York when I worked with him, such as the striking model/dancer Potassa de la Fayette (who was also an inspiration for Andy Warhol). Potassa was originally from the Dominican Republic, and she took the New York nightclub scene by storm in the 1970s. All the aspiring designers made sure she had their latest fashions to show off around town. I would often see her at the dinner parties hosted by Dali and Gala – Potassa always obliged Dali’s request by giving a dramatic dance performance. She could ‘Vogue’ like no other! I recall thinking she was someone who could really ‘own the room’!
Monika: Candy Darling was another of that era’s icons. Did you ever cross paths with her?
Susanna: Dali also adored Candy Darling (who, of course, was chiefly Warhol’s muse). I remember at one point during 1973, there was a feature in ‘Warhol’s Interview’ magazine which Candy did with Salvador Dali (with photos by Francesco Scavullo). Before that, I had seen her in the Warhol /Morrisey film ‘Women in Revolt’ the year before and I idolised her. I asked Dali if he would invite Candy to one of his soirees so I could meet her.
He apparently tried to arrange it several times, but for quite a while in 1973 she was ill, and then at the beginning of 1974 she passed away. It was Dali who told me the sad news about her death. He apparently attended the funeral in person and Lear confirmed that Dali sent flowers ahead of time. Dali had drawn an image of a ‘strange bug’ as a gift for Candy’s mother. He later spoke of Candy’s extraordinary ‘luminosity’ when giving an interview to Candy’s friend / former roommate Jeremiah Newton.
Monika: Dali clearly had a deep appreciation for trans women and their artistry. From your perspective, what do you think drew him to your community so strongly?
Susanna: It is true that Dali gravitated towards beautiful and dramatic transwomen. Yes, he loved femininity, of course, but also he loved the mystery and beauty of androgyny. Truth be told, it was particularly pre-operative transsexuals with whom he was most fascinated.
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| Susanna in late 1980s (London) while working as a makeup artist for Yves Saint Laurent Beaute. |
My own experience of being in Dali’s company was that he made me believe for a moment that I was the most beautiful being to ever enter his sight. When I described this to someone in his entourage at the time, they remarked that Dali was an “old-school Catalan man” at his core. I didn’t quite know what that meant but I was charmed by him and the way he dressed and spoke. I used to do little things that amused him. He made me feel loved rather than merely tolerated. I think certainly the other trans women in his circle felt similarly and no doubt would have their own story to tell.
Dali was very generous too – he often instructed his secretary to pay me $300 per sitting (which was a lot of money then) and I would sometimes model as much as four times a week for him. I heard that this generosity was in total contrast to Warhol in relation to his various ‘superstars’, who complained they were poorly paid, and some felt discarded after they participated in films.
Monika: We have such an interesting contrast here — Dali the passionate romantic versus Warhol the cool observer. Did you ever have the chance to meet Warhol yourself?
Susanna: Actually, I once told Dali I had been looking forward to meeting Warhol. But I had a sense, based on his description of Warhol, that he was trying to steer me clear of developing any fascination with him (possibly) because it might detract from my fascination with Dali! I remember feeling as though Dali wanted me only for himself.
Incidentally, I did meet other of the transgenders from Warhol's rival court -- but not through Dali -- such as Holly Woodlawn and Jackie Curtis. I met them both at a party in New York thrown by a neighbour of mine – the actress/socialite Monique Von Vooren (a friend of Warhol). I was introduced to Jackie and Holly by the actor Hiram Keller (who I was then briefly going out with) -- he told them I was Dali's current 'Angel' in a kind of tongue-in-cheek sort of way.
Monika: Oh, that must have been quite the introduction! What were Jackie and Holly like when you met them?
Susanna: They had obviously both met Dali and knew others like Candy Darling who had too. They seemed really interested that I was so close to Dali, but I got the impression from them that it had become sort of a cliche or a standing joke that if you were a young attractive pre-op 'tranny' in New York and you met Dali he was going to want to get a look at what you had between your legs -- and if he thought he could work with you he would mould you into a full-on muse that was his and his alone.
I remember I talked to them about Warhol in this regard, and of course, it seemed they were saying that with Warhol, he was not in any way interested in the sexual aspect -- but he was interested in the face, and what came out of the face. It seemed as if Warhol was interested in the glamour, contrivance, and theatricality of transsexuals, but little more. I gathered that he wasn't interested in their day-to-day problems -- or the problems they could cause in his life if encouraged.
For Dali, he seemed to see transsexuality as more of a natural phenomenon – along the lines of ‘hermaphroditism’ -- which he was fascinated with. Overall, this is how he saw me.
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| Susanna in early 1980s (London) while working as a makeup artist for Estee Lauder. |
Susanna: After I had my gender reassignment surgery at the age of 19 (performed by Dr Stanley Biber in Colorado), Dali abruptly stopped using me as a model. In fact, he was perturbed to learn that I had gone forward with this plan, against his urging, and when he finally discovered that I had sold two of his drawings to fund the surgery, he was absolutely furious with me. He apparently felt as though I had betrayed his trust by selling his gifts, and especially to finance something quite destructive (at least in his view).
I later had the opportunity to talk to Amanda Lear about this, and her rather guarded response was simply to point out that “Dali does not understand such things”. And I recall she gave me what I have to consider very sage and timely advice – along the lines of ‘it’s probably best if you don’t talk about this because very few people in the world will ever really understand it! ’
Monika: Amanda always struck me as someone who understood the power of silence and mystery. Did she share more of her thoughts with you about her own experience with Dali?
Susanna: Amanda was (and is) beautiful, and stoic, and I understood she was certainly wise enough to want to protect her career. In September 1974, around the time she was famously having an affair with David Bowie, there was an article in Oui magazine in the U.S. about her modeling career in Europe, along with striking photos by Carl Stoecker (who had photographed her for the famous Roxy Music album cover).
At the end of the article, it revealed that she had been surgically transformed into a woman some years before. When she gave me her advice, it was later in the 1970s, and she had moved on from modeling to launching her music career. She undoubtedly understood (still understands) the power of maintaining a nuanced mystery about her past.
Monika: And what about April Ashley? She, too, had her own extraordinary and often painful history. What was your impression when you met her?
Susanna: I also think Amanda Lear must have witnessed the very public humiliation of her former friend April Ashley when her marriage to a British aristocrat was annulled. I met April in the mid-1980s in London at the Chelsea Arts Club, and in between gulps of Prosecco, we talked briefly about her encounter with Dali in Paris at le Caroussel and her friendship with Amanda Lear.
My impression of April was that she was very sweet and humorous and caring and cultured – I sort of saw her then as some grande ‘Sister in Arms’, but at the same time she also appeared significantly battle-damaged in life by the ‘outing’ she suffered in the 1960s. As the evening wore on, April became more drunk and her mood darkened – she became rather bitter. But I nonetheless saw how brave she was! That’s what I took away from that meeting.
Monika: I imagine hearing about Dali again after all that must have brought back complicated feelings. Did he ever reach out to you later?
Susanna: Dali apparently did eventually forgive me for my perceived ‘betrayal’. What helped in this direction is that I took him to see Chrysis (aka International Chrysis), who was then starring in the show ‘Zou’ at the ‘Blue Angel Night Club’ on East 54th (between Park and Lexington). He fell under her spell immediately – I noted that night he gazed at Chrysis in exactly the way he used to look at me when I first met him!
Monika: I watched Split: Portrait of a Drag Queen (1993) and was struck by International Chrysis’s beauty — but also by a loneliness behind her eyes. The film showed the dangers of unregulated cosmetic procedures. Did you know Chrysis personally?
Susanna: Chrysis and I went to the same cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Benito Rish, who had his offices on Central Park West. I am not sure whether or not he would have been the doctor who gave Chrysis silicone injections in her breasts. Rish did do some silicone work – so I am told – but I had known several other trans women who had experienced problems with silicone injections in the body and face – the problems would often emerge many years after treatment. I managed to avoid that myself, and I tried to dissuade friends too.
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| Susanna in 1978 (Chicago), photo by Peter Tabor. |
Monika: How close were you to Chrysis socially?
Susanna: I’m afraid I didn’t know Chrysis extremely well – I never visited her apartment, for instance but we occasionally met up or ran into each other, and we always had great fun. We respected each other's beauty, let’s say. As far as that goes, I recall that wherever we went, we were a sensation together! Chrysis had this beautiful, big smile with gorgeous white teeth (the sort that only actresses and showgirls have). She was rather famous in New York, of course, and through the show ‘Zou’ at the Blue Angel, she had the whole of elite New York society at her feet! As a friend, I found she was warm, and I remember she had this very wicked, dry sense of humour!
Monika: What was she like offstage, more private, or the same dazzling person?
Susanna: Apart from having the same doctor at the time, we also discovered we shared the same ‘sugar daddy’ (so to speak). This guy was a fairly rich married businessman who later became mega-wealthy and influential in the New York property development business. He was a super ‘control-freak’.
It was hilarious when Chrysis and I once played a trick on him by both showing up together at his elegant pied a terre on Park Avenue! He wasn’t happy – it rattled him. He ultimately dumped both of us, but seeing the look on his face at that moment when he realised he was no longer in control was worth the loss of financial support.
Monika: Before we dive into your incredible modeling career, I’d love to ask about your current work. You restore 18th- and 19th-century shell-work grottos, create delicate mirrors for historic estates, and write academic articles on garden history. This work clearly demands not only natural artistic talent but also extensive historical knowledge. How did you first get started in this fascinating field?
Susanna: Well, I should first mention upfront that apart from my time modeling with Dali, I never made much money doing commercial modeling in either New York or Chicago or even later when I came to London. Modelling became an occasional thing for me, and no agent ever agreed to put me on their books as a model so to that extent I couldn’t say it was much of a ‘career’ as such.
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| Susanna in 1979 (Chicago), photo by Peter Tabor. |
Monika: Did you enjoy being in front of the camera, or did you always feel more at home behind the scenes?
Susanna: Actually, I became largely known as a make-up artist for many years, and I successfully worked with various photographers and stylists, and cosmetics companies such as Estee Lauder, Revlon, and Yves St. Laurent.
In the capacity of a promotional make-up artist, I was there to present myself as an expert in achieving ‘the model look’ (not only on myself but to teach other women how to achieve ‘the look’). I found it fulfilling because I felt like I was helping women to build their confidence. Most of it took place at large promotional events and in major department stores. I did a lot of professional training events, doing make-up demonstrations, and always tried to back it up by looking like a professional model myself! That was how I made my living up until the early 1990s.
Monika: I love that you helped other women feel confident through beauty. Did you ever miss the modeling side of things during that period?
Susanna: My last modelling gig (as such) was in London in 1992 and came completely out of the blue through a social connection with the famous British photographer Lord Snowdon (Anthony Armstrong Jones), who was commissioned to do shots for the luxury Italian jewelry brand Pomellato. I never saw the final result but when the ad campaign first launched, Lord Snowdon was excited to tell me he’d just come through the airport at Milan and saw my photo at the top of an escalator, which he described as being at least 20 feet high!
Monika: Wow, that must have been quite a moment! So how did you go from modeling and makeup artistry to something as different as restoring historic buildings and gardens?
Susanna: As to my later career(s) – for about two years, I freelanced as a chauffeur in London in between working for the various cosmetics companies. I drove an old, elegant Rolls-Royce, which was a great way to learn about London and the people, and I experienced some beautiful places too. I especially liked when clients wanted to visit historic houses and gardens, which I always enjoyed. I read up on everything, so I was able to act somewhat as a tour guide. Historic buildings and their gardens in England and Wales quickly became a real obsession for me.
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| Susanna in 1983 (London) working as a chauffeur in Rolls Royce. |
Monika: That’s such an unexpected but charming twist! What was it about those historic places that captivated you so deeply?
Susanna: One of the aspects I noticed when I visited these places was that the garden structures tended to be dilapidated and the garden plantings degraded. In some historic sites, the garden features were ruinous. I wanted to become a champion for the research and restoration of these buildings.
I eventually helped establish a historic buildings preservation trust (along with some like-minded friends who had influence and knowledge in that field). That’s how I became involved in being an activist in rescuing historic places and their landscape settings, including grottoes but also various temples and pavilions and towers, and bridges, etc.
In the process, I discovered I was quite good at charitable fundraising for the several projects we adopted – especially getting charitable grant funding! I learned how to put together eye-catching and informative appeal documents, and through this, the trust was able to start rescuing these gardens and garden features – and gaining public awareness and support.
END OF PART 2
All photos: courtesy of Susanna.
© 2025 - Monika Kowalska
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