On Friday, mannequin and “Mission Runway” host Klum remodeled into Medusa, a strong monster from Greek mythology mentioned to have the ability to immediately flip onlookers to stone. (Her husband, musician Tom Kaulitz, was dressed as a stoned warrior.)
Klum spends months annually making an attempt to outdo the varied different costumes she’s worn to Halloween events, which have change into one thing of a New York Metropolis mainstay for the previous quarter century. Over the previous few years, she has dressed up as a worm, a peacock, a werewolf, a demon, and ET, the lovely alien from Steven Spielberg’s 1982 movie. She has additionally dressed up as “clones” or older variations of herself.
As Ms. Klum posed for photographers, greater than a dozen animatronic snakes gave the impression to be slithering from her head, and her eyes glowed with reptilian contact lenses. Her physique was encased in a snake swimsuit with an eight-foot tail that housed a battery pack for the writhing snake and a set of wheels to permit her to maneuver round. Her costume was troublesome to sit down on and was so massive that it took up a lot of the blue carpet exterior the Onerous Rock Resort in midtown Manhattan.
Mike Marino, a Hollywood prosthetics designer and Klum’s longtime Halloween collaborator, mentioned this 12 months’s costume was impressed by the snake-like, stop-motion Medusa from the 1981 movie “Conflict of the Titans,” and was designed by famous animator and particular results creator Ray Harryhausen.
Mannequin and tv character Heidi Klum wears a Medusa costume on the annual Halloween occasion on the Onerous Rock Resort on Friday, October 1, 2025 in New York. Yearly, Klum spends months making ready to outdo another costume she’s worn on the annual Halloween occasion, which has change into one thing of a New York Metropolis mainstay for the previous quarter century. (Nina Westervelt/New York Instances)
“Have a look at these tooth,” Klum mentioned the day earlier than the occasion, highlighting her razor-sharp acrylic tooth. “If you happen to chunk somebody within the neck, you would possibly truly bleed.”
“She would kill anybody together with her,” added Marino, who not too long ago gained an Emmy for her prosthetic make-up within the movie. HBO Max collection “The Penguin.”
It took dozens of individuals to assemble all the costume. A scaly masks and gloves lined her face, neck, and palms, hiding each inch of pores and skin. The little strip I appeared into was painted inexperienced. A 5-inch cut up reptilian tongue hung from her mouth and was hooked up to the actual tongue with a “suction cup machine,” Marino mentioned. For that to work, Klum must hold her tongue “as dry as potential,” she mentioned.
Due to her tooth and tongue, Krumm has hassle consuming loads at evening. “That is why I am doing what I am doing now,” Klum mentioned between bites of tagliatelle, whereas Marino glued Medusa’s ears hours earlier than hitting the purple carpet.
And, Marino mentioned, going to the toilet can be “very troublesome.” (Klum wore an grownup diaper beneath the swimsuit.)
The German-born mannequin and her elaborate costumes have change into synonymous with Halloween, however earlier this 12 months she branched out with a spin on Oktoberfest (Munich’s first ‘Heidi Fest’), and now she’s contemplating bringing a contact of Heidi to one more vacation: Carnival.
“We even have a giant carnival in Germany,” she mentioned. “Folks often say, ‘Actually? German Carnival?’ However there is a massive carnival in February. Let’s have a look.”
Mannequin and tv character Heidi Klum attire up as Medusa and different friends, together with her husband Tom Kaulitz (middle), costume as a warrior turned to stone on the annual Halloween occasion on the Onerous Rock Resort on Friday, October 1, 2025 in New York. Yearly, Klum spends months making ready to outdo another costume she wears to the Halloween occasion, which has change into one thing of a New York Metropolis mainstay for the previous quarter century. (Nina Westervelt/New York Instances)
Klum’s group got here up with the concept for her to decorate up as Medusa about 4 months in the past, however she mentioned it was very gradual in her world.
When selecting her costume, Klum mentioned she wasn’t significantly desirous about Medusa’s place in mythology, a lady who was sexually assaulted, became a monster, and a few say she was later decapitated. Classical scholar Mary Beard known as Medusa “one of the vital highly effective historic symbols” of male victory over feminine energy.
“I had been toying with the concept of Medusa for some time, and I believed, ‘Let’s do Medusa proper,'” Klum mentioned. “She’s a extremely cool and scary snake lady.”
Klum is already desirous about what she needs to be subsequent 12 months. As a result of generally inspiration involves me. she mentioned, snapping her fingers with out giving a touch.
