Friday Fame

This week's Friday Fame is Pia Douwes, leading musical actress, dancer, singer and all-round inspirational woman extraordinaire. Born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Pia realised at 19 that she wanted to dance. She moved to London, found a dance school in the Yellow Pages and got into the Brooking School for Ballet with no prior dance education - and a sprained ankle.

After several musical workshops she started to work in Vienna and Amsterdam. Her musical credits include the title role in Elisabeth, Milady de Winter in both the Dutch and German productions of Three Musketeers and Velma Kelly in Chicago. The latter part she played in the Netherlands as well as in the West End and on Broadway.
Most recently she alternated the role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard with Simonne Kleinsma.

Apart from being a gifted performer Pia also gives back. She's an ambassador for the Ingeborg Douwes Stichting which helps cancer patients and their families to deal with the emotional onslaught of the condition. In addition to her work at IDS she is also the ambassador for an orphanage in Sri Lanka.

As far as her style goes it all seems incredibly effortless. Especially her make-up is always picture perfect, not too heavy but also not too light.

I loved her whole look at the 2008 Musical Sing Along. From the dress (that lovely pencil skirt and those sleeves) to her hair and makeup, everything about her screamed musical diva - rather appropriate when singing With One Look from Sunset Boulevard I think.

Are you inspired both on a style and a personal level by performers?

Picture credits: here