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It took Heidi Klum a lot of time and money to look like herself for Halloween -- and she wouldn't have it any other way!
The Queen of Halloween shocked everyone when she showed up to her annual party dressed as herself last night, flanked by five clones who matched the blonde beauty from head to knee-high boot covered toe. After covering herself in prosthetics in the past to celebrate in costumes like Jessica Rabbit, an much older version of herself and a skinned body, this was definitely an unexpected route.
But that doesn't mean it was easy.
Mike Marino of Prosthetic Renaissance, the company who collaborated with Klum on this year's costume, gave toofab the inside details on how this year's look came about ... and just how they executed it!
toofab: We know you've worked with Heidi in the past -- is it a collaborative effort in terms of idea, or does she just call you up and say, "Here's what I'm thinking this year ..."
Marino: That's exactly it, there's no changing Heidi's mind one she sees it in her head. But that's what I like about working with her. She knows what she wants very clearly.
toofab: Can you talk us through the process just a little bit. What's the timeline like from getting a mold of Heidi's face to last night?
Marino: We initially took Heidi's Lifecast as a reference for the masks. Mike Fontaine and I sculpted and created the masks derived from that mold. We cast a thin rubbery urethane inside the molds making the thinnest masks possible, fitting over parts on Lifecasts of the models.
They wore the initial mask, DermaFlage silicone to fill any gaps in the mask, and custom prosthetics over that to blend into the mask and their skin in the eye area and chin. Each girl wore up to 6 prosthetics, a wig, and eyebrows.
It took about 2 hours per girl. When we were finished, Linda Hay did their beauty makeup and Nikki Fontaine and Rolando Beauchamp dealt with the wig wraps and hair styling.
They were custom to each girl derived from the original master casting of Heidi's face. Anyone can actually be Heidi if they wear this mask. But, the eye shapes of each girl will show through. That I cannot change. There's really only one Heidi, and her eyes tell it all!
toofab: It was a much easier costume for her this year, but for you guys, you had to create FIVE Heidi Klums — how much more work was it for you?
Marino: Tons of work, it's like doing Heidi 5 times.
I couldn't have done it without Mike Fontaine, a fellow artist at my company Prosthetic Renaissance,and my crew of 7. Another vital aspect was Linda Hay and Rolando Beauchamp from Heidi's team. We all collaborated together like old friends. It's very professional, and we all seem to make it work.
toofab: How nervous were you about capturing her likeness just right?
I just try my best with everything I do and hope for the best. Surrounding yourself with an amazing team is vital. Heidi's face is very unique and no one has eyes like Heidi, so it's all super challenging.
toofab: Any message for critics who say she "dropped the ball" because she didn't personally get transformed this year?
Marino: She didn't drop the ball. People are hard on celebrities and have big expectations. They forget that it's all fun in the end and Heidi always has it. She certainly surprised everyone with it, so I guess it turned out to be unpredictable. Which goes hand in hand with originality.
toofab: Which of your looks for Heidi has been your personal favorite?
Marino: I don't have a personal favorite. They are all challenges. We are just excited to work with an amazing person like Heidi. She loves makeup and is always enthusiastic.
toofab: Do you have a dream costume for Heidi or a theme/genre you'd love to try on her still?
Marino: I think we have to go the scary freaky route next!
toofab: And last, but certainly not least, what are we looking at in terms of cost? If you can divulge how many figures we're talking?
Marino: 10 million dollars. We are open to all new offers!
FYI: When we followed up about whether that "$10 million" answer was touched with a hint of sarcasm, a rep for Prosthetic Renaissance replied, "We can never give full details on payment, so we'll leave it up to your imagination!"
For more info on Mike's company, check out their official website and Instagram page!
