Heidi Klum explains how the Met Gala 2026 ‘fake’ template came to be

Heidi Klum broke down how she turned into a real-life marble statue on the Met Gala 2026 red carpet.
Speaking to Vogue writers Ashley Graham and Cara Delevingne, Klum said her look – which included long dresses, facial makeup and a flower crown – was inspired by Italian artist Raffaele Monti’s “Veiled Vestal” sculpture.
“I was like, I want to be her!'” Klum shared with her on Monday night.
The model, 52, came up with the idea to match the dress code of the “Costume Art” event during a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“I walked around the Met with Raffaele Monti, he did a lot of sculptures from the 1800s, so I looked and I said, ‘Wow, this is so beautiful. It’s a drape, and it’s all marble, but how can you do that with fabric?’
Klum explained to Graham, 38, and Delevingne, 33, that while her dress looks “tight,” it’s actually “soft,” as she lets the pair touch her.
The “America’s Got Talent” judge revealed that the title costume was made of “foam and latex.”
“I can sit, I can eat, I can do everything,” she shared with a look of “delusion” – but admitted she would need “help” to go to the bathroom.
When asked how long it takes to get ready, Klum joked that she was “in and out” of the makeup chair in “20 minutes.”
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Klum told her Instagram followers that the dress was created by makeup artist Mike Marino, who “turned fabric into a sculpture, replacing latex and spandex with incredible precision to display the calm, luxury and illusion of sculpted marble.”
He said his look, inspired by the “timeless beauty” of the Monti sculpture, “blurs the line between fashion and fine art.”
“Every fold, every contour, every detail is deliberate, taking on both strength and softness in a way that feels impossible,” Klum continued. “A one-of-a-kind design that not only dresses the body, but elevates it to art itself.”
In a second post, Klum shared a video of herself in casual clothes before snapping her fingers and changing into her photo shoot outfit.
At last year’s Met, which was themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, Klum went for a more demure look, wearing a strapless black Vetements dress.
Monday marked the first time Klum appeared on the Met Gala red carpet in 12 years, having last attended it in 2013.



