Dressing animals in human clothing seems to be a trend these days. We've seen everything from this fashionable dog to baby chicks sporting various hats. In this series, entitled Segundas Pieles (Second Skins), Madrid-based photographer Miguel Vallinas takes the trend a step further, transforming ordinary animals into well-dressed individuals with human-like characteristics. By naturally blending the two figures together into one portrait, Vallinas creates an unsettling blur between human and animal.
The striking portraits are a result of dramatic lighting combined with the artist's incredible retouching work. Set against a dark black background and standing in upright poses, the creatures evoke definable human traits like intelligence, pride, and charm. Vallinas creates each animal's personality by forming a “second skin” of fashionable clothing and assigning each creature with certain stereotypical garments. A sporty rhinoceros wears a casual, outdoor jacket; a fierce lion is dressed in uniform; a delicate swan wears a cute pink skirt; and a proud peacock boasts a fabulous, bright blue sweater to match its feathers.
