After facing intense online scrutiny, Heidi Klum has spoken up about her viral skin-baring outfit worn to the 2026 Grammys.
The 52-year-old supermodel and host arrived at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena in what many immediately dubbed one of the most daring looks of the night. She wore a custom Marina Hoermanseder dress designed to resemble a completely n*ked body.
Highlights
- Heidi Klum wore a custom Marina Hoermanseder dress molded to her own body.
- Due to the dress's stiff, lacquered leather construction, Klum admitted she could not sit down and had to take "baby steps" all night.
- Critics flooded social media comparing the look to Bianca Censori’s 2025 appearance.
- Klum’s look was part of a larger 2026 trend, joining Chappell Roan’s pierced Mugler gown and Justin Bieber’s shorts-only performance in a controversial "bare" fashion movement.
Her revelation follows brutal online reactions and comparisons to Bianca Censori’s 2025 Grammys look.
Heidi Klum explained the intention behind her 2026 Grammys bare dress
Image credits: Gilbert Flores/Getty Images
Speaking on the red carpet and later sharing behind-the-scenes footage on Instagram, Klum made it clear that the controversy was never an accident.
The custom Hoermanseder look was molded directly to her body and intentionally designed to look hyper-real, complete with sculpted breasts, abdominal contours, and a faux belly button.
Before being lacquered and painted, the dress looked “truly human-like in its truest form,” according to behind-the-scenes images shared on February 2.
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“I also go for a showstopper kind of an outfit,” Klum told Billboard. “I’m never someone who is… for the nice thing. I always like something special.”
But her commitment came with consequences. The stiff, knee-length latex design forced Klum to take careful baby steps down the carpet.
While some praised the craftsmanship, Klum’s explanation did little to soften public reaction.
The internet brutally roasted the bare look and several compared it to Bianca Censori’s similar moment
Image credits: marinahoermanseder
Image credits: marinahoermanseder
Donning unconventional outfits is nothing new for the Project Runway host. In November 2025, the model shared a behind-the-scenes video on her Instagram showing herself squeezing into a muted pink sheer latex skirt.
Detractors wasted no time piling on her recent look.
“How can I be n*ked without being n*ked? I can hear it in her voice, asking her stylist,” one viewer joked.
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“Wow, this is heinous. Looks like someone dipped her in liquid wax and called it fashion,” another wrote.
“It kind of looks like she’s been dipped in a cheese fondue,” someone else added.
Others called out her styling. “The hair is so flat and lifeless. Really uninspired,” one user observed.
Image credits: Gilbert Flores/Getty Images
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“The jagged edges… why? It looks like a torn sterile glove,” another commented.
Beyond these critiques, the most unavoidable comments were when viewers compared her to Bianca Censori, who opted for a completely sheer mesh dress at the 2025 Grammys with no lining and no coverage.
“Bianca Censori, 2026 edition,” one person wrote.
“She’s clearly uncomfortable. Her smile looks forced, and the whole thing screams Met Gala costume, not Grammys,” another said.
Klum’s dress became part of a Grammys night defined by bare fashion moments across the carpet
Image credits: marinahoermanseder
Image credits: Gilbert Flores/Getty Images
Klum wasn’t alone in pushing boundaries. The 2026 Grammys quickly became synonymous with sheer fabrics and near-n*dity.
As reported by Bored Panda, Chappell Roan left viewers jaw-dropped after she arrived in a Mugler gown hanging from faux n*pple rings. Surprisingly, her appearance was also compared to Censori's.
“Not even Bianca Censori would wear this,” wrote one user.
Other similar looks were observed on the red carpet, including Teyana Taylor, who stunned in waist-cinching cutouts, and Zara Larsson, who embraced cropped minimalism.
Even the men joined in. Justin Bieber stripped down to silver boxer shorts for his long-awaited performance at the 2026 Grammys. His nearly bare outfit was also brutally mocked by online users.
“This is the Grammys, not the beach,” said one user.
Beyond them, several other stars including Julia Fox, Florence Pugh, Kristen Stewart, and Dakota Johnson have embraced the trending aesthetic.
"Why wear anything?" wrote one netizen
