What a ginormous task to tackle! Heidi Klum, the indisputable queen of Halloween, has set the bar oh so high in the past years. Surprising fans with costumes each more elaborate than the previous one, keeping everybody on the edge of their seats before her grand reveal and hosting a myriad of celebrities at a very anticipated party where attendees are expected to show off their best spooktastic looks.
How could the German supermodel maintain momentum and up the ante on 2022’s unexpected (and a bit gross) worm costume or the many show-stopping accoutrements she’s came up with over the past two decades? The answer is simple: bring a squad of expert costume-makers and makeup artists in the fold.
The Conceptualization
Heidi Klum came to us with her vision: she wished to mesmerize and astonish the audience walking down the trademark orange carpet at the party. What better way to capture the crowd's attention than take on the peacock's fascinating appearance? Her stroke of genius was an inspiring way to jumpstart the partnership between her team and Cirque.
Enlisting renowned costume designer Marie Chantale Vaillancourt, who created costumes for KÀ and KOOZA, to work alongside Cirque du Soleil’s Creative Guide Michel Laprise and Marie-Helene Delage, lead creative director for this special project, was the ticket to success. They led a team of no less than 29 Cirque du Soleil experts from the costume workshops. They joined forces with Oscar-winning makeup artist Bill Corso, who’s a long-time associate of Heidi’s Halloween costumes, creating prosthetics for her looks amongst other things.
The Execution
Cirque du Soleil is renowned for creating out-of-the-box, handmade garments for the performer to wear on stage. The Ateliers team works tirelessly all year round to tailor unique and memorable costumes to bring their characters to life. Channeling this precious expertise was no small feat – especially knowing that all eyes would be pointed on Heidi Klum, come Halloween. A total of 11 costumes were conceived for the evening; 10 for the Cirque du Soleil acrobats and one for Heidi.
Many, many, many Swarovski® crystals and over 657 feet (200 meters) of sublimated fabric, printed in-house at the International Headquarters in Montréal, Canada, were used in the creation of the costumes. The complexity of the costume required almost 2,000 hours of work, with around 200 of those dedicated to creating the various textures, colors, and designs for fabric printing. The costume was conceived in a way that allowed it to piece together like a puzzle.
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The Reveal
All this hard work paid off in the most mind-boggling way it could have – a signature Heidi Klum concept brought to life by Cirque du Soleil. Alongside the supermodel, the acrobats in full costume made the audience go OOH! and AAH! as they revealed the peacock costume’s multiple moving parts and transformed it right before their eyes.
Celebrities like Becky G, H.E.R., Tom Kaulitz & Bill Kaulitz, Taylor Lautner, Reneé Rapp, Camila Cabello, Ice-T, and Christian Siriano were expected at the party to witness Heidi’s latest Halloween performance, as she changed into the last form of her costume and got ready to party all night long!
Do you think Cirque du Soleil was able to step up to the challenge? Not to be too (pea)cocky about it, but we’re pretty proud of this accomplishment!
A big round of applause for our wonderful artisans:
Cirque du Soleil Credits:
Cirque du Soleil Creative Guide : Michel Laprise
Lead Creative Director: Marie-Hélène Delage
Creative Director: Emilie Grenon-Emiroglou
Choregrapher: Marie-Eve Demers
Costume Designer: Marie Chantale Vaillancourt
Costume Designer Assistant & Project Manager: Jean-Sébastien Gagnon
Make-up designer: Vanessa Ashley
Cirque du Soleil Costume Workshops & Make-up Team: Stéphane L., Judith H., Karine L., Carl B., Marcelle M., Nadine D., Geneviève D., Julie C., Yannick, Véronique A., Danielle D., Heetesh P., Liane G., Lourdes C., Mélanie G., Nathalie L., Nathalie M., Véronique L., Véronique V., Christopher G., Antoine N., Julie S., Marie-Noëlle T., Laurence R., Shogo O., Sylvain L., Dominic M., Marie Lisa B., Alyag M., Martin G., Luc D., Maryse G., Lisa-Marie C., Patrizia A., Steven A., Jeffrey C.
Cast Credits:
Eric Bates - Porter
William Underwood - Porter
Mason Ames – Porter Hand to Hand
Kyran Lee Walton – Flyer Hand to Hand
Gregorian Parser Hawke - Hand to Hand, Banquine Porter
Anna Soltys Morse – Hand to Hand, Banquine Flyer
Saffi Liping Walton – Contortion, Hand Balancing
Myriam Deraiche – Flyer Hand to Hand
Samuel William Charlton- Porter Hand to Hand
Valérie Doucet - Contortion, Hand Balancing