The masks and cloaks come on as Venice holds its world-renowned carnival.
The canals of the famous Italian city are the backdrop for 12 days of promenading.
It is a high point of the year for Venetian costume designers like Stefano Nicolao.
The 18th Century - the twilight of the Venetian Republic - usually inspires the costumes but there is room for experimentation.
US rapper Coolio of Gangsta's Paradise fame brought a 21st-Century touch when he was invited as a guest of honour.
Assuming the role of the Carnival "Angel", he scattered confetti from a cable suspended above St Mark's Square.
The carnival in its modern form dates from the 1980s but carnivals in Venice go back to the 13th Century.
Visitors to Venice can see the costumed paraders strut their stuff up until Shrove Tuesday, 5 February.
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