Heidi Klum Dazzles in Pearl-Adorned Sheer Gown at 2026 Oscars

Heidi Klum made a dazzling return to the red carpet at the 98th Academy Awards, marking her first Oscars appearance in nearly a decade. The 52-year-old model and America's Got Talent judge chose the occasion to make a statement in pearl embellishment and sheer luxury, arriving at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 15 in a gown that immediately divided and delighted the internet in equal measure.

Klum wore a strapless, sheer champagne-colored column dress by Chrome Hearts. Her dress featured a strapless corset-style bodice that hugged her silhouette beautifully, and the nude-toned gown was intricately decorated with rows of shimmering pearls, sequins, and delicate cross details cascading down the entire dress. The beadwork ran in close parallel vertical lines from neckline to hem, creating a symmetrical column pattern that, as one viewer put it online, was "insane up close." The construction is quintessentially Chrome Hearts: the Los Angeles-based luxury house has built its identity on exactly this kind of densely embellished, rock-inflected glamour, and the cross motif throughout the gown is signature territory for the brand.

The floor-length gown had a strapless style, which helped Klum flaunt her shoulders and collarbones. The sheerness was not incidental: the dress was transparent enough to reveal the leotard Klum wore underneath when she placed her hands at her waist, a detail that amplified the daring of the silhouette rather than undermining it.

The jewelry carried the pearl story further. Klum accessorized with a choker of layered pearl strings anchored at the center by a dangling silver cross necklace, reinforcing the religious motif already woven into the gown's beadwork. Diamond rings completed the hand styling. Klum also elevated her look through her makeup choices, going with a dewy foundation base with contour, pink blush, and metallic bronzer, while gold eyeshadow, mascara-laden lashes, and a nude glossy lip rounded out the look. Before the show, she shared an Instagram video documenting both her makeup application and the tanning cream applied to her arms, a behind-the-scenes transparency her followers have come to expect.

The look landed as a deliberate counterpoint to her recent viral moment at the Grammys, where Klum arrived in a full-body latex "mannequin" outfit that dominated social media for days. The Oscars gown swapped provocation for intricacy, with fans on X responding accordingly: "She looks so hot," wrote one user, while another declared, "Heidi Klum doesn't age, she just upgrades every year." Not everyone was convinced; one commenter compared the sheer construction to "a torn sterile glove," though even the criticism reflected how closely the look was being scrutinized.

Her first Oscars appearance in nearly a decade drew immediate attention the moment she arrived at the iconic Dolby Theatre. While Klum has remained a fixture at Oscar parties over the years, attending the telecast itself marked a different kind of statement. At 52, in a Chrome Hearts gown built on pearls and crosses and sheer champagne fabric, she made it count.