Inside Heidi Klum’s 2023 Halloween Party, from star-studded guest-list to six-hour transformation

‘Just because I was this very minimal kind of rainworm [in 2022], I wanted to make something very elaborate and I wanted to make a costume with multiple people,’ supermodel says

Never mind celebrity pre-Halloween parties, Heidi Klum’s famed 31 October bash is undeniably always the main event – and this year was no different.

From slipping across her classic orange carpet in a full body worm suit in 2022 to having an orchestra of Cirque du Soleil dancers attached at her hip Tuesday night, the supermodel has made every Halloween the gig of her life under the luminous New York skyline. Anticipation amps up in the months and weeks ahead of the spooky-coded celebration with fans speculating what character or creature Klum will assume while the 50-year-old model teases her planned look until the very last second.

On 31 October, Klum took over Amazon’s Instagram account, going live to document the process of transforming into her costume before the annual party. In the past, she’s openly admitted that getting ready has taken her up to 24 hours depending on the prosthetics needed. However, this year the time stamp to get into character was only six hours, but there were a bunch of moving parts – literally.

The style muse posted a series of videos getting her makeup done with a bumpy add-on plastered across her forehead, lining her temples down to her cheekbones. At the time, she donned a feathery pink overcoat, but this wouldn’t be her final garb.

Hours later, Klum stunned the cameras outside Manhattan’s Marquee – the venue for this year’s party – when she unveiled her 2023 ensemble. Alongside a group of 10 Cirque du Soleil performers, the mom of four dressed as a peacock with her husband Tom Kaulitz sat next to her as an egg.

Klum wore a textured head wrap decorated with tall standing feathers and a functioning beak that allowed her to talk normally. Her face was unrecognisable, while her figure was kept intact inside a soft form-fitting blue velvet bodysuit. The 10 dancers folded behind Klum donned green bodysuits with painted faces reminiscent of a peacock’s plume. Gold, green, and blue hues radiated from the entire group as they performed a short, choreographed routine with Klum in front.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the German-American A-lister explained how the constricting nature of her worm costume the previous year had inspired her to prioritise more movement this year.

“Just because I was this very minimal kind of rainworm [in 2022], I wanted to make something very elaborate and I wanted to make a costume with multiple people,” she told the outlet.

“I was thinking a peacock because a peacock is kind of together with the feathers and then it opens up,” the America’s Got Talent judge continued. “I wanted to make an art performance out of it.”

Christian Siriano and his guest as theatrical cats (Getty Images for Heidi Klum)

Though the day-of preparation wasn’t as tasking as it’s been before, the last couple of months required a ton of performance practice. Cirque du Soleil’s creative director, Michel Laprise, spoke highly of the runway star, noting he was thrilled to work with Klum and how she nailed the routine early on when they were rehearsing in Montreal. In total, the costume took 2,000 hours to pull of the entire carpet appearance.

Klum’s decadent affair included a star-studded guest list from Taylor Lautner to Ice-T and TikTok royalty Alix Earle.

James Charles as Vincent van Gogh’s self-portrait (Getty Images for Heidi Klum)

Leni Klum, 19, crafted a raunchy version of “Strawberry Shortcake” with knee-high socks, pink bloomers, and a neon wig. Camila Cabello dressed Anne Hathway in the notorious Princess Diaries cover photo, wired headphones, tiara, and all.

James Charles painted himself like Vincent van Gogh with an open frame lining his face as if he was the visionary’s self-portrait.

Becky G as the corpse bride (Getty Images for Heidi Klum)

Becky G was the corpse bride, Christian Siriano came as a theatrical cat, Rachel Zegler was Daphne from Scooby Doo, social media star Emma Norton assumed the look of the Statue of Liberty, Lucas Castellani was an Avatar Character, and Larsen Thompson went as Carrie Bradshaw in her bridal look from the Sex and the City movie.