Heidi Klum's World is Changing, and How

With her worldboth personally and professionallyin transition, the supermodel blossoms yet again

Image: Neil Francis Dawson Styled by Angelo Desanto

Dress ($8,570) by J Mendel; jmendel.com. Shoes ($1,290) by Salvatore Ferragamo; salvatoreferragamo.com

n the eve of Hurricane Sandy, as the rest of Manhattan quietly hunkers down, Milk Studiosthe famed fashion-shoot joint in Chelseais hopping. Indie rock blares through hidden speakers. The New York Giants game plays on the flat screen in the house bar. Katie Holmes, her made-up eyes as darkened as a raccoons, loudly scolds her daughter, Suri, for some unknown transgression as they wait for the elevator. And into an airy studio on the eighth floor of the building strides Heidi Klum. Shes wearing a white terry-cloth robe, slippers that clack noisily across the wooden floor, and a huge smile. The 39-year-old immediately makes the rounds on the set, greeting everyonethe stylists, the photographer and his assistants, and mewith pecks on each cheek and warm hellos in her mellifluous voice, tinted with just a trace of her native German accent. Shes coming off a nine-hour shoot, and her day is just getting started.

Yet Klum waves off the offer of a break. Lets do this, she says. She sits on a stool under a set of klieg lights. Her assistants spring into action, flitting about her like hummingbirds. One primps her blonde hair, blown out and dark at the roots. Another carefully paints her eyelashes. Klum looks relaxed, as if shes at a spa.

Then the photographer, Neil Francis Dawson, sees a shot and starts snapping off photos. Klum hears the familiar sound and, suddenly, shes on, even with all of the commotion around her. Her focusthat incandescent smileis totally on the camera now. Its an object of affection, a recipient of warmth. This is a practised art, hon! ed over two decades. I love working with Neil, Klum says of Dawson, a protg of one of her favourite photographers, Rankin. Neil is very good with light. When youre pushing 40, light is very important.

Then its time for a wardrobe change. Everyone is in motion. Camera equipment is shuffled to the next spot. Klum walks over to a standup screen to change. Except she doesnt really stand behind the screen. Rather, she stands out front, near the lighted mirror. She disrobes right there, in front of everyone, without a stitch of self-consciousness. I look around bashfully. Its no big deal, she later tells me. I am completely comfortable with my body.

And why not? That body, along with that smile, that face, and a heavy dose of confidence, has been her meal ticket, yielding one of the most impressive and long-lasting modeling careers in the professions history, from a 13-year stint with Victorias Secret to the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. And now its given her a platform for her transition from body to brain. Just as her highly lucrative modeling career darkens on the near horizon, the sun is lifting on her business ventures, which include two hugely popular television shows, a kids clothing partnership with Babies R Us, a sportswear line with New Balance, and jewellery and perfume businesses, all of which ForbesLife estimates will earn her $20 million this year.

Her career is not the only thing in transition. Her four kids are growing up, no longer babies. (They range in age from three to eight.) And after her recent, rancorous divorce from the singer Seal, Klum has moved on to a relationship with her former bodyguard. But rather than shrinking in the face of upheaval, Klum is relishing it. I love what Im doing, she says, convincingly. I love my life.

We head to one of Klums favourite New York City restaurants, Jacks Wife Freda, a caf in SoHo. The restaurant, normally boisterous, is nearly empty, thanks to Sandys imminent arrival. Inside, I meet a man who introduces himself in a South African accent as Martin. He is muscled and sports a two-day-old beard and Daniel Craig-like creases on his forehead. This is Martin Kirsten, Klums former bodyguard and current boyfriend. He, in turn, introduces me to Brandon, an Iraq war veteran who is, maybe 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds. He is one of Klums new bodyguards.

With the winds swirling outside, the mood turns festive, as if everyone is sneaking a night out that they shouldnt have. Drinks are poured. Dean Jankelowitz, the owner, brings out plates of fried zucchini chips and french fries. Isnt this fun? asks Klum.

Nearly an hour later, the tables are strewn with empty glasses and hors doeuvres plates bearing only crumbs. We all make the short walk to the New York headquarters of Heidi Klum Company, a skinny, one-room office space on Broadway, to check in. Dawson wants to shoot the room, and Klum changes into a red mini-dress. She shows me her back. The fabric is held together by a safety pin. I ate too many fries, she says. Dawson sets up the shot. Klum seems curious. She hops behind the photo equipment and grabs his camera, firing off a few shots. She looks at the images as they appear instantaneously on Dawsons computer. I like this angle best, she says. Dawson agrees. He later tells me that he loves working with Klum because shes never pouty, like so many other supermodels. She always brings it, he says. She knows this is a business.

This article appeared in Forbes India Magazine of 08 February, 2013

Keywords: Forbes India Celebrity 100, Modeling, Heidi Klum, Supermodel