Project Runway’s Heidi Klum Dishes with Glamour Magazine

Heidi Klum is a woman who has got it all- a loving family, a thriving career, and now launching a ninth season of one of the the hottest fashion shows in history. Project Runway has changed the concept of runway collections, and Heidi herself has had an indisputable impact on the fashion industry.

At 38, the mother of four, host, model, and designer is extremely happy, and for good reason. Heidi talked to Glamour about her busy schedule, loving husband, and working on Project Runway.
You can read more about Heidi and her latest projects in Glamour’s August issue that will be available on newsstands and digitally, through iPad and Barnes & Noble Nook Color, nationwide on July 5th.

Glamour: Let’s talk clothes. If you could wear only one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be?
HK:    Hmm, maybe my pajamas? I have a whole army of pajamas.

Glamour:   And does Seal like your pajamas, or does he prefer you in lingerie?
HK: He loves pajamas! He’s very English, so he loves pajamas and slippers…. We start off wearing the pajamas, and sometimes they come off.

Glamour:   Wait, wait, I’ve got questions on that later! But Project Runway first. Over the seasons, it seems like your critiques have gotten more forceful. Do you agree?
HK:   I don’t think so. But I do think that I’m more comfortable now than I was during the first few seasons. Now I’m more at ease. I see the designers and start singing this song [snapping along], “Another one bites the dust….” I have more fun with it now.

Glamour:   Has Tim Gunn ever given you style advice?
HK: He hasn’t. He’s so polite—he would never say, “Why are you wearing this?” Michael [Kors] is a little bit more…well, he always jokes with me. He says that my skirts are really short. He calls it fallopian length. He teases me.

Glamour:   After so many seasons of the show, how do you keep it fresh?
HK: It’s really about the specific designers…. Of course, some seasons are better than others. One thing that’s stayed the same is that we eat a lot of Cheetos! We all have orange hands, though you can’t really tell on Michael, because it blends in with his tan. [Laughs.]

Glamour:   How much longer do you think the show will last?
HK:   I’m going to be 80, walking with a stick down the runway.

Glamour:   You’re known for your bold fashion sense. What was your worst misstep?
HK:  I can’t think of one that I hated. It always worked in that time and that moment. It’s the same with hairdos. When I was younger, I had a perm, and it was really big. My mom was a hairdresser, so even my dad had a perm! I looked like a poodle, but it was cool at the time.

Glamour:   Is there anything that you’re bad at?
HK:   There are many things! I’m bad at baking. I’m bad at letting go of things. I’m probably bad at reading.

Glamour:   Bad at reading?
HK: Yeah! Sometimes I’m like, “What is this word?” And I start stuttering, and Leni [Klum’s oldest daughter] is like, “Mommy, you don’t know what that means?” And I’m like, “No, do you know what this means?” And she says, “No, but you should know. You’re the mommy.”

Glamour:   You and Seal renew your vows yearly. What’s the story behind that?
HK:   Well, my husband and I had a great time at our wedding. And I said to him, “It’s too bad that when we’re 90, we’ll have only this one time to look back on. So we should do this every year!”

Glamour:   You also go all out for Halloween….
HK:   I think putting on a costume loosens people up. Put on a wig, and all of a sudden it’s like, Woo-woo! To me, life is about creating memories. The regular days kind of just blend in. You have to create special times so that you will always remember them.

Glamour:   I read that you actually asked Seal out first.
HK:   Yeah, I did. We were sitting in the lobby at the Mercer Hotel [in New York], and he came in from the gym. I was very attracted to him immediately. And I said, “Where you going? You should just stay here with us.” He said, “I’m sweating—I have to go take a shower.” And I’m like, “Good, take a shower and come back.” And he did.

Glamour:   In relationships, were you usually the aggressor?
HK:  I’m not someone who plays hard to get. This whole thing about “Oh, let’s exchange numbers” and then people wait four or five days before they call you? I don’t see the point. If you feel something, why would you let that pass? You only live once.

Glamour:   Is there anything about Seal that you’d like to change?
HK:   No. I learned [not to try] from my previous marriage—I was married for six years [to hairstylist Ric Pipino]. Seal is a very strong person, and so am I, and we let each other live our lives.

Glamour:   Have you ever been hurt by a guy?
HK:   Between my ex-husband and my husband, I met someone I really liked, but it turned out that he was lying to me. That really hurt. But now I look back and think, Was I crazy? Why was I crying over this stupid dude?

Glamour:   The “Secret” video [which features Klum and Seal on a bed…wearing nothing] is beautiful. What was it like to make it?
HK:   I had no problem having fun with my husband, but he was shy. When we were there in the bed, he was like, “Everyone has to go! I don’t want to be naked with everyone watching!” For me, it’s like, Woo-hoo! I don’t care.

Glamour:   What’s the one piece of lingerie you think every woman should own?
Heidi Klum:   There’s nothing wrong with a nice garter belt. I’m not saying you have to put a pole up in your bedroom and start swinging off the rafters. But I love that sometimes! My husband and I just had a “sexy week” in London. I’d put on a super-short skirt with a garter belt on underneath so that when I’d sit, he could see it. It’s fun to sauce it up a little bit.

Glamour: When do you find Seal the hottest?
HK:   Always. He’s even hot when he’s sleeping. He’s a beautiful man. He’s kind, he’s a gentleman, and I watched him last night onstage, and he still rocks it. I’m like, “Yeah, that’s my man!”

Glamour:   And is there a look he loves on you?
HK:   I got compliments from him last night. I had a fallopian-length dress on, like Michael says. And it was actually designed by Michael Kors! I was shocked, and I need to call him and tell him that he did fallopian! He copied my signature length.