Heidi Klum's best looks, from unforgettable red carpet gowns to iconic mini dresses

It's clear to see from Heidi Klum's best looks that the model has a lot of fun getting dressed up. The star has dazzled in everything from daring mini dresses to sparkling gowns on the red carpet over the years, favouring eye-catching designs that show off her toned physique.

Klum's glittering modelling career began in the early 1990s when she won a competition in her native Germany. Since then, she has graced the covers of leading magazines - including Vogue and Sports Illustrated's 'swimsuit' issue - walked on Victoria's Secret's iconic catwalk and fronted campaigns for leading fashion and beauty empires.

The star - who is mother to four children - subsequently turned her hand to TV as a host and producer, and has been nominated for a total of six Emmy Awards. In the early 2000s, she starred on Germany's Next Top Model and also Project Runway in the US, and since 2013 the fashion favourite has appeared as an on-off judge on America's Got Talent.

While Klum may have spent swathes of her career showcasing the style of some of the world's top brands, she has also unveiled her distinctive dress sense at many A-list parties and showbiz events. 

Heidi Klum's best looks

The model isn't afraid of making a sartorial statement with bright colours, sequins, ruffles and cut-out detailing. The queen of dopamine dressing, Klum is never afraid to embrace the latest fashion trends - even if they are rather outlandish.

1. The kimono and jeans look

While most of Klum's most memorable looks are her dramatic red carpet appearances, we love her ability to incorporate colour and patterns into any outfit. Pictured here in LA in 2021, Klum dressed up the classic blue denim and white t-shirt combo with a patchwork-printed kimono. The base of the outfit is classic - skinny jeans and a white top - but she layered it with the distinctive kimono and orange ballet flats for a fun, impactful look.

2. The ruffled Cannes mini dress

The star stunned on the red carpet at the amfAR Cannes Gala in Cap d'Antibes, France in 2023. The model wore a head-turning pale green off-shoulder mini dress by Georges Hobeika, which featured eye-catching ruffled detailing and a voluminous train. She finished off the look with dewy make-up and silver heels.

3. The sequinned green suit

We adored Klum's look for America's Got Talent in Pasadena, California in 2022. The star was stylish in a sparkly green trouser suit - comprising of a double-breasted blazer jacket and slim-fit trousers - which she accessorised with a pair of Dolce & Gabbana heels. Her enviable poker-straight hair and block fringe are also providing us with serious fringe inspiration.

4. The beaded Oscars frock

Klum was a vision at the Oscars afterparty thrown by Vanity Fair in Beverly Hills in 2020. The TV favourite stepped out in a sheer short-sleeved midi dress by Georges Hobeika, which featured a sweetheart neckline and sparkly detailing throughout. She finished off the winning look with a smokey eye and strappy silver heels. Like many of the best Oscars dresses, this frock was dripping in old Hollywood glamour.

5. The sparkly Elie Saab mini dress

There was no missing Klum at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's annual Academy Awards viewing event in West Hollywood, California in 2022. The star attended wearing the perfect party dress, designed by Elie Saab, which featured sparkly silver detailing. She accessorised the glamorous strappy mini with a pale pink feather boa and silver heels. 

6. The lacy monochrome gown

Klum shimmered her way into the Clooney Foundation for Justice's 2023 Albie Awards in New York. Her sparkling monochrome gown, designed by Tony Ward, featured sparkly detailing and a short train, giving the perfect hourglass silhouette. She finished off the look with a smokey eye and a glossy nude lip.

7. The tasselled Grammys gown

All eyes were on Klum at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 2023. The model turned heads in a plunging brown midi dress by The Blonds, featuring an eye-catching print and tasselled detailing. She accessorised with metallic strappy heels and her hair styled into beachy waves.

8. The black Rick Owens gown

Klum was the epitome of chic at the Harper's Bazaar ICONS & Bloomingdale's 150th Anniversary party in New York in 2022. The TV star wore a wet-look black sleeveless gown by Rick Owens, which featured cut-out detailing and a form-fitting silhouette. She wore her hair slicked back, and carried a black and gold clutch bag.  

9. The snakeskin Sports Illustrated gown

Proving that her style credentials span decades, Klum looked incredible at the Sports Illustrated 'swimsuit' issue press conference in 1998. The model wowed in a slinky sleeveless snakeskin print gown, which featured a form-fitting silhouette and a short train.

10. The yellow feathered gown

A divisive dress, but certainly one of her most memorable ones - Klum brightened up the Elton John AIDS Foundation's annual Academy Awards viewing party in West Hollywood, California in 2023. Her canary yellow Georges Hobeika gown featured voluminous feathered detailing and a sheer skirt with a deep thigh split. She finished off the look with strappy gold heels.

11. The striped PJs and heels look

Even when off-duty Klum looks effortlessly glam. The star stepped out in a fashion-forward look arriving at America's Got Talent in Pasadena, California in 2023. She wore a blue striped PJ-esque shirt and trouser co-ord and dressed up the ensemble with a pair of turquoise heels and a matching handbag.  

12. The black beaded skirt-suit

Klum turned heads in a daring look at the MTV Movie & TV Awards in Los Angeles, California in 2021. The model wore a matching black geometric hand-beaded blazer and skirt by Aliétte, which she paired with an elegant silver necklace and black latex thigh-high boots.

13. The fluffy white gown

All eyes were on Klum at the LACMA Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles, California in 2023. The model wowed in a sparkly white gown by Lever, which featured sheer panelling at the neckline and the sides.  She finished off the distinctive look with a bright red manicure and perspex heels.

14. The cut-out blue mini dress

Klum was feeling blue on the America's Got Talent red carpet in Los Angeles in 2021. The star wowed in a long-sleeved mini dress, which featured puff sleeves, and a cut-out at the neckline. She finished off the look with her hair in an elegant up-do and a pair of slip-on baby blue heels. 

15. The shimmery silver frock

We are fans of a metallic look, and Klum dazzled in a stunning silver ensemble at the Fashion Trust US Awards in Los Angeles in 2023. The star's one-shouldered Kate Barton frock featured bow detailing at the waist and an asymmetric hemline. She accessorised with strappy silver heels and a smokey eye - an easy make-up look that ramps up the drama.

16. The yellow Cannes gown

Not her most popular look - it was widely slated at the time - but a super fun one that we'll always remember. Klum stole the show on the red carpet for the film La Passion De Dodin Bouffant at Cannes in 2023. The model stunned in a bright yellow gown by Zuhair Murad, which featured daring cut-out detail, a thigh-split and - the main event - striking caped sleeves. She finished off the dramatic look with relaxed locks and nude heels. 

17. The cobalt Julien Macdonald dress

If there's one A-lister who can pull off a cut-out with aplomb, it's Klum. The star shone on the red carpet at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles in a sparkly cobalt blue one-shouldered dress, which featured an exposed midriff and a thigh split. She accessorised the Julien Macdonald frock with heels in a matching shade and slicked-back hair.

18. The blue bejewelled Oscars gown

Klum looked pretty in baby blue at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in Beverly Hills in 2023. The star turned heads in a bejewelled short-sleeved gown by Zuhair Murad, which featured elegant sheer panelling. She accessorised with a voluminous opera coat and silver strappy heels. 

19. The purple feather boa and silver dress combo

Not one to shy away from a sequin or a feather, Klum dazzled in a sparkling mini dress at the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills in 2023. Her teeny short-sleeved, high-necked frock - by Kevin Germanier - featured sheer panels. She amped up the glamour with a lilac and white feather boa thrown over her shoulder and a pair of silver strappy heels.

20. The dazzling silver mini dress

Klum frequently shows off her toned legs, and her eye-catching ensemble for the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles was no exception. The model dazzled in a long-sleeved, high-necked silver mini dress by Christian Cowan, which she paired with a metallic clutch and matching platform heels.  

21. The black latex look

For the Los Angeles premiere of Moonfall in 2022, Klum wowed in a sleek black latex look. The star wore an asymmetric jacket and matching skin-tight trousers, and she finished off the head-turning ensemble with a bouncy blow-dry, bright red manicure and crocodile-effect black clutch bag.

22. The blazer and mini dress look

Klum opted for a chic all-black ensemble at the book launch for Tracey Cunningham's True Color in Los Angeles in 2021. The model looked incredible in a black lacy mini dress, which she smartened up with a sharp blazer. She finished off the look with black boots.

23. The white ruffled midi dress

Outside the America's Got Talent set in Pasadena, California in 2022, Klum turned heads in a pretty summer ensemble. The star wore a white short-sleeved midi dress, with an asymmetric hemline and ruffled detailing. She finished off her chic look with strappy white heels and a large white tote bag.

24. The leopard print and camo look

More really is more when it comes to Klum's style, with the model often opting for maximalist looks. She ripped up the style book by wearing clashing prints while out and about in Los Angeles in 2021. The model wore a leopard print pussy-bow blouse tucked into a pair of brown plaid trousers, with a three-quarter-length animal print coat over the top. She finished off the look with a camo-print bag and leopard-print heels.

25. The slinky black mini dress

There's nothing quite like an LBD - or little black dress - for a night out. Klum looked stylish in a long-sleeved black sparkly mini at the CFDA Fashion Awards in New York in 2019. She accessorised with a glittering clutch - one of the best evening bags to add some quick glamour - and a pair of sheer black tights along with black heels.  

26. The fringed multi-coloured mini dress

Over the years, Klum has proven that short hemlines can belong on the red carpet. The model wowed in a colourful shimmery fringed mini dress, by Zuhair Murad, at the Annual Daily Front Row's Fashion Media Awards in New York in 2022. She finished off the long-sleeved frock - which featured cut-out detailing - with a pink metallic clutch and matching strappy heels.

27. The cut-out Jean Paul Gaultier gown

Klum is no stranger to a daring look. The TV star stepped out at the Jean Paul Gaultier show as part of Paris Fashion Week in 2023 in a black and blue maxi-dress featuring cut-out detailing and a thigh-split. She finished off the look with a blue pendant necklace and strappy black heels.

28. The yellow thigh-split dress

Klum knows the power of accessories when it comes to creating a memorable look. At the 2022 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, the model wore a strapless bright yellow midi dress, by Toni Maticevski, which featured ruffled detailing and a thigh-high split. What elevated the look, however, was her accessories - she opted for long black gloves and thigh-high black boots.

29. The white feathered look

At The Hollywood Reporter's Oscar Nominees Night in Beverly Hills in 2022, Klum was a vision in white. The catwalk icon stunned in a white turtleneck top and belted pencil skirt co-ord, which she paired with a feather varsity-style jacket and patent leather heeled boots.

30. The fiery red jumpsuit

You can never go wrong with a flattering jumpsuit. All eyes were on Klum on America's Got Talent: All-Stars' red carpet in Studio City, California in 2022. The TV star wore a striking short-sleeved red jumpsuit, which featured elegant belt detailing and a plunging neckline. She finished off the look with curly hair and gold heels.

31. The green Dolce & Gabbana gown

Klum opted for a sweeping green gown on arrival at America's Got Talent in Pasadena, California in 2022. The model wowed in the plunging floor-length dress, by Dolce & Gabbana, which featured a thigh split. She accessorised with statement earrings and her hair worn in a half-up, half-down style.

32. The tweed and denim look

Klum put her most fashionable foot forward at the 2023 Green Carpet Fashion Awards in Los Angeles. The model wore an ensemble, designed by Ronald van der Kemp, which comprised of a long-sleeved tweed crop top and a denim mini skirt, which she dressed up with a pair of monochrome patterned heels.