Heidi Klum is once again proving that she’s the costume queen.
Klum, 52, looked unrecognizable in a head-to-toe veiled lady costume by Mike Marino at the 2026 Met Gala on Monday, May 4. The America’s Got Talent judge sported stone-colored special effects makeup on her face, body and hands, which made it appear as though a veil was draped over her face as she wore a crown of flowers. The look was completed with a sheer, drapey gown.
While posing for photos on the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Klum held out her arms to the side and closed her eyes, adding to the statue effect that was popular in the 19th century, primarily by Italian sculptors. Similar marble masterpieces include Giovanni Strazza’s The Veiled Virgin, Antonio Corradini’s Vestal Virgin Tuccia and Raffaelle Monti’s The Veiled Vestal.
Klum went all out for the evening’s “Fashion Is Art” dress code, which coincided with the “Costume Art” theme. The exhibition marks the debut of the 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries, which is considered “a huge moment for the Costume Institute,” curator in charge Andrew Bolton told Vogue ahead of Monday night’s festivities.
“What connects every curatorial department and what connects every single gallery in the museum is fashion, or the dressed body,” Bolton added of the dress code. “It’s the common thread throughout the whole museum, which is really what the initial idea for the exhibition was.”
Though Klum’s Met Gala looks have been comparatively tame in years’ past, the supermodel has famously pulled out all the stops for her annual Halloween bash in New York City. She’s no stranger to special effects makeup and full-body costumes, with her looks ranging from Jessica Rabbit and Fiona from Shrek to a giant worm and an alien.
In 2025, Klum transformed into Medusa, a Greek mythological figure who has snakes instead of hair and turns anyone who looks at her into stone. Klum’s husband, Tom Kaulitz, dressed as one of Medusa’s stone victims.
“I’m going to be very ugly because I always try to do something different,” she told People of the costume ahead of her Halloween party. “I thought last year, I was very cute with my husband as E.T. And the year before that, we were the big peacock with performers. After the worm [in 2022] that felt so simple, I wanted to make something complicated. And with having 15 [performers as part of the costume], being so many bodies creating one thing, I thought that that was different again. So I hope I came up with something new again.”
Klum shared her look via Instagram on Halloween, wishing fans a “happy Heidiween from me and my serpents.”
“For #HeidiHalloween 2025 I set my gaze on bringing a classic monster into the modern world, and Medusa was irresistible,” she wrote. “Iconic, mysterious, ferocious. Her legend and the art she’s inspired prove how haunting and timeless her power is. @tomkaulitz another year, another costume. Ich liebe dich ❤️ A Gorgon is only as powerful as the ssssspectacular team behind her. From the bottom of my stone cold heart, thank you for transforming me from mortal to myth. It truly takes a village 🙏.”
