The supermodel celebrated 25 years of her Heidiween party by transforming into a life-sized version of her own appendage.
Heidi Klum has built her reputation on elaborate Halloween transformations, having previously appeared as E.T., a peacock, a worm, and Fiona from Shrek. For her 2026 New York City party, she unveiled her most unexpected creation yet: a giant, lifelike replica of her own hand.
"I always love to do something unexpected," Klum told Vogue before beginning her lengthy preparation process. "Every year, I want to surprise people and do something that they haven't seen me—or anyone—do before."
The concept originated from Klum's desire to elevate the ordinary. "Some of the most interesting ideas come from the most ordinary things," she explained. "I love the idea of taking something so common, and that we see every single day, something we probably never even think twice about, and turning it into something larger than life."
Klum first conceived the hand costume roughly a year prior, even before her 2025 Medusa appearance. She recalled pitching the idea to costume designer Mike Marino, who needed to prioritize that earlier project first. The vision remained with her, and she committed to executing it for her 25th annual Heidiween celebration.
Marino and his ProRenFX team constructed the piece using existing body scans of Klum to ensure anatomical precision. "We wanted everything to be as realistic as possible—the anatomy, the veins, the muscles, all the little details that make a hand look like a real hand," she said. The team also replicated her engagement ring, wedding band, and finger tattoo to personalize the creation.
Engineering the costume presented significant challenges. "There is so much planning, sculpting, molding and engineering that goes into these costumes," Klum noted. "The hand had to be large enough to make the impact I wanted, but also constructed in a way that I could actually wear it and move around."
The star-studded event took place at Manhattan's Cathédrale restaurant. "This year is especially exciting because it's the 25th anniversary of my Halloween party," Klum said. "I always want the party to feel like a place where everyone can be creative and really become someone or something else for the night."
Her Halloween ritual extends beyond the party itself. "By the end of the night, I'm usually ready to get out of my costume," she admitted. "November 1 is also when I start thinking about next year. I'm always collecting ideas, so even when Halloween is over, my brain is already working on what I could possibly become next."