A fabulous and creative representation of the island flavour in this black-green-and gold-number. Using the model's body as the canvas, the illusion of a skin-fitting top with a pair of booty shorts is created.

"Wow, that top looks hot! Oh ... wait ... (squinting eyes and examining closely) is that what I think it is? Noooo!" Yes, that is not an outfit but a model's bare body you're looking at. The new fad is for artists to put their brush not to easels but to models, whether for fashion or commercial events, to create body paintings.

Creating illusions

Producing a natural and believable look, with special emphasis on concealing certain parts of the body, body paint is used to create illusions. For example, on fashion shows there are models, covered in paint designed as actual, trendy, fashionable pieces, parading on the runway.

Recently, the winner of VH1 Glam God, Indashio, hosted a fashion show during New York Fashion Week. He invited body-painting artist Jinny and airbrush-artist Mark Ink to use their skills to create designs inspired by some of his original pieces. All the artists needed were the bare bodies of models and, of course, their tools.

Here are some pictorial highlights guaranteed to make you take a second and even third look to differentiate between what's real from what's not.

- Pictures taken by Moises De Pena

Replicating a trendy monokini swimsuit, this model looks colourful in her candy-stripe painted-on 'suit'.

Designer Indashio (third left) poses with some of the models who took part in his fashion show, lending their bodies as canvasses for body-painting artists who worked their magic. His designs included influences from his trip to Jamaica last year.