Heidi Klum Has Some Very Specific Rules for Getting Dressed

The model on what she'll never wear, her INC campaign, and that Sia music video.

Even with her model physique, Heidi Klum says she can't pull everything off. "We all dress differently—what looks good on your shape wouldn't necessarily look good on me," she told ELLE.com at a press event for her new Macy's INC campaign. There's a reason you won't find A-line skirts, colorful rompers, and more girly pieces in Klum's closet: "I'm not a flirty girl. On me, it doesn't look right. I wear more of a harder, more structured [look]."

Which is exactly why Klum picked her own clothes for the INC 30th anniversary ads she starred in. "I wanted to make it personal…I didn't want someone to put me into an outfit and then I don't look like me in a way, do you know what I mean? I wanted to pick the pieces myself."

The model chatted with ELLE.com about the campaign, the craziest thing she's ever worn, the thought behind her gorgeous before and after makeup selfie, and how that music video she did for Sia came about.

It sounds like it you have some pretty specific style rules when it comes to what looks good on your body. How did you figure them out?
Shooting and being in this industry for 20 years, you get put into so many outfits. And then you're on the red carpet, you think, 'Wow, this shape looks really good,' or certain things look better in photos than in person, you know? You just learn over the years what looks good on your body or what is appropriate for certain things that you have to go to.

I'm always a risk-taker and my publicist, we'll talk about this a lot. Sometimes she's like, 'Why aren't you wearing something a little bit more conservative?' But that's not me. I think clothes show your personality—you know you love color and you love having fun, and I can see that when you walk in the door. It doesn't mean that you're not serious, but it means that you're serious and you like to have some fun, too. And I like to show that in my clothes—that I'm fearless, that I don't always care what people think [about] what I personally wear.

So what's the craziest outfit you've ever worn?
You know, if you saw this fringe dress that I wore to the Creative Arts Emmys last year, it was cobalt blue and I was twirling and a lot of people said that I looked like that thing in the car wash. [Laughs] You know, it looked very sleek and very chic but then I was like, it looked so fun when you spin in it because it was head-to-toe fringe. You know, it was fun!

In Project Runway contestant Sean Kelly's dress at the Creative Arts Emmys.
Getty Images

You did your first INC ad in 1997, when you were 18. How have things changed in the industry?
Things that we do now are way more complex and harder to do because people just expect so much more of television commercials. They have to be smarter or wittier, they have to grab you more. So for the commercial then, I just had to walk down the street—it was like four takes then it was done. [In the new campaign,] like I was dancing literally all day long in all these different outfits, because we did two different commercials, you know, one for later in the year and one for right now. I literally had whiplash by the end of the day. And my neck was hurting by the end of the day because I was head banging all day long, kicking my legs, moving around, it was like the biggest workout ever. Literally.

Did you wake up the next day sore?
Very sore. Yeah.

I want to talk about beauty briefly. You recently posted a really gorgeous before and after makeup selfie on Instagram. What was the thought behind showing that whole process?
I knew that shoot was going to be really crazy so I knew it was going to be a lot of hair and makeup. And I knew everyone was going to be like, 'Oh, what kind of filter are you using?' I didn't put any filters, I was just really close to the light. And I don't know, I just took the before and I thought, 'Oh, I know I am going to do an after later because I just knew it was going to be a big transformation,' and I just thought it was nice for people to see what hair and makeup can do.

Behind the scenes of her new INC commercial

How does your daily makeup routine compare to how you get done-up for being on camera?
We're dealing with professionals here. They do your makeup and they do your hair, and you will look a lot different than if you do your own. When I do my own hair and make-up, I don't look like that either. I don't know how to put my eyelashes on perfectly, when I curl my hair it doesn't look so messy, when I do it looks kind of like too curly, do you know what I mean? Mine is just never that effortless looking. They just know what they're doing.

How much time did you spend for the hair and makeup for that shoot?
Probably three hours.

An ad from her new INC campaign

Wow. So you just released a music video for Sia. How did that collaboration come about?
We basically asked Sia if she was interested in doing a collaboration with [Heidi Klum Intimates] and she was super excited. At that time I actually had not met her, and she kind of let us do what we wanted to do. In the end, all she required us to do is to wear the wig at some point. And I was like, 'Yeah, totally, I'd love to wear the wig.' And she loved the video. I finally got to meet her at the Oscars, and she was super nice. I mean she's a goofball! She's super funny, she lifted me up, and she was like, 'Oh my God, I saw the video, it's so much fun, I can't believe I'm finally seeing you…' Because you know, I was sitting at a different table, and she spotted me, and she literally came running over. Who does that? Most people don't do that, they sit in their seat and are all proper and stuff, but she came running over, and I thought that was very nice of her to do.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below