Supermodels at Pinheiros Altos

1st October 2002

Pinheiros Altos sponsored this year's annual Fashion Algarve Show at the Vilamoura Casino in June. After a well-attended press conference, the two leading models, Caprice and Ruza Madarevic, took time out at the resort before the evening's show, kindly agreeing to be interviewed and photographed whilst they relaxed on the Members' Terrace.

Although Caprice grew up in California, since l996 she has been based in London, the spring- board for her burgeoning career. She has appeared on over 250 magazine covers all over the world and made countless television appearances, including her own 'Caprice's Travels' series on ITV and the Travel Channel.

Her many accolades include being voted GQ's 'Woman of the Year' and Maxim's 'International Woman of the Year', both three times running. Somehow, she manages to squeeze acting lessons into her incredibly busy schedule, a strategy that is now starting to pay dividends.

In January, she trod the boards with Helen Lederer and Gina Yashere in the London Arts Theatre's highly successful and critically-acclaimed production of 'The Vagina Monologues,' which features an ever-changing cast of three women.

Other leading actresses have included Honor Blackman, Rita Tushingham, Maureen Lipman and Jerry Hall, so she's in excellent company. This was an experience she thoroughly enjoyed, remarking how the live audience reactions were so stimulating.

Now Caprice has the imminent release of her first film 'Nailing Vienna', co-starring Saskia Reeves; as she says, acting is number one on her agenda. With her successful range of lingerie now recently joined by swimwear, her calendars, posters and weekly magazine column, you wonder how Caprice can find the time for house-hunting, but that's what she's doing, back in Hollywood, although she won't be giving up her London base.

Ruza is from Croatia and the meteoric rise of her career still surprises and delights her. As well as fashion shows for Chanel, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton, she has been the high-profile 'face' for several campaigns for companies such as Revlon, Nivea, Sisley and Bally.

Her natural personality has also come through on the covers of Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar and Marie Claire. Like Caprice through, her real passion is for acting, something on which she spoke with great knowledge and enthusiasm.

Her favourite directors are the likes of Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes and Federico Felini and overall, she prefers the European directorial approach, which she considers more 'honest'.

Again, like Caprice, she is studying acting and is an enthusiastic disciple of the Meisner technique used by such luminaries as Kevin Spacey and Meryl Streep. Both girls delighted us with their relaxed candour and their pleasure at being able to take some easy time with us.

They both said how much they liked what they saw at Pinheiros Altos and wanted to see our property operation to see if there was anything of interest. Finally, we did get one useful beauty tip from them. When asked what the secret was in maintaining such perfect figures, Ruza's prompt and emphatic reply was 'Stress!'.