Korean American Angela Jia Kim has a closet full of frilly ball gowns and baby doll dresses, however such items will not launch her into the business world. Leaving behind a successful career as a concert pianist and forging ahead as the CEO of her new luxury spa company, Angela has come to a turning point in her life and knows she needs to dress the part. Unfortunately, Angela’s taste in clothes is governed by the deep insecurities she harbors about her body. Tim and Gretta’s challenge is to persuade a reluctant Angela to see herself in a different way. Fashion help from: hairstylist Ted Gibson, fashion designer Reem Acra, and makeup artist Scott Barnes.

Having No “Real” Clothes – Angela just launched a new organic company but has no idea how to dress for that role.

Where Are They Now: Angela – Tim Gunn and Gretta’s visit with Angela has left a positive mark in her life.

More about Angela Jia Kim:

Described as a superb colorist with playing that is “full of life and fantasy, pianist Angela Jia Kim has delighted audiences around the world in recital, orchestral, and chamber music performances. Maria Curcio, the eminent protege of Artur Schnabel, described Angela as a real virtuoso of the instrument [with] astonishing artistry at the keyboard. She went on to predict that Ms. Kim would represent her country on the world stage as one of the great musicians of our time.

In addition to performances in major cities such as New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Paris, Warsaw, Toronto, and Montreal, Ms. Kim’s performances have been featured on PBS Television, Japans NHK telecast throughout Asia, CBC Radio broadcast throughout Canada, Chicagos WMFT-FM (Dame Myra Hess Concert Series), New Yorks WNYC, and Washington D.C.s Voice of America. A recent recital in France was reviewed by Le Pays, which reported, an exceptional performance of a pianist with an international reputation: Angela Jia Kim’s performance evoked immense shivers of emotion by every person in the audience The success of this performance led to a re-engagement as the cornerstone artist of the inaugural Festival Jeune Talents in July of 2002. In 2002-03, Ms. Kim will be touring North America with Dances and Fantasies, a program that includes music by Mozart, Ravel, Schubert, and Liszt, which she recorded for commercial release on the Mir Classical label. She will also be devoting a significant portion of the season to chamber music and other performances with her piano trio, Trio Movado, at the prestigious LaJolla Chamber Music Festival and the Laguna Chamber Music Festival.

A native of Ames, Iowa, Ms. Kim was honored with the award for Best Interpretation of French Music by the French Piano Institute in Paris, which led to performances of the music of Debussy, Ravel, and Poulenc at Salle Cortot in Paris and at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. She has also been recognized for her interpretations of Mozart by winning the grand prize at the Mozart Festival Competition in Illinois. As a result of her prize-winning performance in the Debut Young Concert Artist Competition, Ms. Kim gave a recital that was broadcast across Canada as part of the CBC Radio program, Music from Montreal. In addition, she has been the recipient of awards and grants from the New York and Iowa Arts Councils.

Ms. Kim has performed as an orchestral soloist with the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra and the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, among others. Following her performance of the Grieg Concerto, a reviewer from The Waterloo Courier wrote, Electrifying with great delicacy and rich colors Kim’s playing of the concerto was the best I have ever heard She played with as much feeling as any pianist I have ever heard.

Ms. Kim’s first musical experiences came at the age of four, studying piano with her mother. At five, she gave her first performances and began studying the violin. She was invited to perform Mozart at an international festival in Chicago at the age of nine. While a student at the Eastman School of Music, she was the winner of the Rising Stars Competition, which led to chamber music performances at the Skaneateles Festival, and she was also the recipient of the prestigious Eastman Performers Certificate. Her teachers include Marc Durand, Lee Kum Sing, Barry Snyder, and Chiu-ling Lin.