I love these amazing photographs by Aline Smithson. This series is of her mother in a range of incredible costumes, portraying her as everything from a bride to a geisha to a lion tamer to Elvis. I love the playful approach to portraiture, the hand-painted technique, and the incredible costumes. What a cool mom, too!

Here’s what she has to say about it: “This series incorporates traditional photography techniques yet, becomes richer with the treatment of hand painting. It is my intent to have the viewer see the work in a historical context, with the addition of color, and at the same time, experience Whistler’s simple, yet brilliant composition formula for the composition. My patient 85 year old mother posed in over 20 ensembles, but unfortunately passed away before seeing the finished series. I am grateful for her sense of humor and the time this series allowed us to be together.” (Via Advanced Style, an awesome blog that highlights elderly fashionistas.)