Heidi Klum's severed-hand Halloween costume for 2026

Why people are searching for it today

Heidi Klum's Halloween party on Saturday 31 October 2026 ended with a costume that turned her own body part into the whole look. The party was her 25th annual Halloween event and was held at Cathédrale in New York City [1]. CBS News reported that the party has run for 25 years [1]. Newsweek named the venue as the Cathédrale Restaurant at Moxy East Village [3]. E! News reported that the party was presented by Apothic and Butterfinger [2].

Klum had teased the costume before the night. E! News reported that she described it as "very, very bloody" [2]. The finished piece was shown at the party, and the photographs and descriptions from that evening are what the coverage is built on [1][2].

What the costume shows

Klum appeared as a giant severed hand, modelled on her own left hand [1][3]. CBS News reported that the hand had long red nails and a thumb ring, and that only her eyes and mouth showed [1]. Blood ran from her mouth as she stuck out her tongue, and the top of the hand ended in dangling ligaments and tendons [1].

Newsweek described a prosthetic replica with fine lines and veins across the palm, long red nails and oversized rings [3]. In that account her face was built into the design near the bloodied wrist, with visible tendons, ligaments and bone [3]. Helpers in blood-stained protective suits went into the party with her, as CBS News and Newsweek both reported [1][3].

How it was made

The idea came to Klum the year before the party. CBS News reported that she was looking at her own hand and wondering whether her body could fit inside a giant version of it [1]. She put it to CBS News this way: "I looked at my hand and I thought, 'Hey, I think I could fit my body in this somehow,'" [1]. She told E! News, "I mean literally, my left hand inspired me," [2]. In the same interview she described the problem she had to solve: "How can I fit my body into this hand? There must be a way," and then, "and we found a way to put my body into a hand" [2]. Newsweek reported that her face was built into the design near the bloodied wrist of the replica [3].

E! News reported that her team spent months on the build, and Klum said, "Many people, many hands doing this hand," [2]. The reports differ on the time spent getting into the piece on the day. CBS News and Newsweek reported five to six hours to get into the costume [1][3]. E! News reported that she said it took about six hours to get ready [2]. The gap is small, and each outlet's own figure is the one to cite.

Weight was the hardest part of wearing it. Klum told CBS News, "Hands down, the hardest thing is carrying it," and added, "It's quite heavy" [1].

The Halloween tradition behind the hand

E! News called Klum the "Queen of Halloween" and wrote that she has worn elaborate costumes for years [2]. Her 2025 costume was a Medusa look [2]. E! News reported that it was head-to-tail, with a long tail and rattlesnakes on her head [2]. Klum said "Everything is hand-painted" about that costume and that about 15 people worked on it [2]. She also said, "I've been thinking about Medusa for quite some time," and wanted moving snakes and a scary face [2].

The two costumes sit side by side in the coverage. Both were built by a team, and both used Klum's body as the centre of the idea [2][1]. In 2025 the team's work was hand-painting and a snake-covered head. In 2026 the work was a replica of a hand, with Klum's body placed inside it [2][1].

What to watch next

The three reports cover the party night. They do not say whether the hand will be shown again, kept by Klum or reused at a later event [1][2][3]. They also give no theme for next year's party [1][3]. The next useful material would be photographs or a behind-the-scenes account of how the hand was built, and any announcement of the 2027 theme.