Dalek Invasion of China

It seems my observation about the Dalek-like appearance of characters Ping, Pang, and Pong in Vancouver Opera's production of Turandot was not totally off-base.

On this web page the following revelation is made:

The Doctor was with composer Giacomo Puccini when he died in Brussels on November 29, 1924 (Doctor Who TVM)

Could the costume designer be a fan of The Doctor?