How Heidi Klum Uses Shoes to Transform Her AGT Outfits: A Breakdown of 3 Key Pasadena Looks

On August 23 and 24, 2022, Heidi Klum turned her America’s Got Talent appearances in Pasadena, California, into a study in how dramatically shoes can change an outfit’s direction. Standing 5 feet 9 inches (175.3 cm) tall and wearing a US shoe size 11, the longtime AGT judge moved through three looks, from glossy orange slingback pumps to towering black platform heels to pointed snakeskin ankle boots.

Each pair served a different purpose. Her orange slingbacks picked up the saturated color of her top beneath a printed blazer, while her black platforms worked with the sweeping proportions and thigh-high slit of a custom Dolce Gabbana evening look. For her most print-heavy outfit, Klum grounded a Stella McCartney Hawaiian-print jumpsuit and geometric outer layer with graphic black-and-white snakeskin boots.

The three outfits are very different, but the footwear provides a useful through-line: matching a strong color, supporting the proportions of an evening silhouette, or repeating the graphic contrast already present elsewhere in an outfit.

1. Orange Slingback Pumps Tie Together Heidi Klum’s Printed Separates

For the August 24 America’s Got Talent qualifiers results show, Klum arrived at the Sheraton Pasadena Hotel in a printed black blazer layered over a bright orange top and retro-style printed flared trousers.

Rather than introducing another unrelated color at her feet, she repeated the orange of her top with glossy slingback pumps. The shoes create a visual connection between the upper and lower halves of an otherwise pattern-heavy outfit.

Heidi Klum coordinates glossy orange slingback pumps with her bright top, printed blazer, and retro flared trousers in Pasadena on August 24, 2022 (Credit: Bellocimages / BauerGriffin / INSTARimages / Cover Images)

She added contrast with a bright green Gucci shoulder bag on a chain strap and oversized dark sunglasses, letting the orange top and heels serve as the outfit’s clearest color pairing.

A green Gucci shoulder bag and oversized sunglasses add contrasting accessories to Klum’s orange-and-print Pasadena outfit (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages / Cover Images)

2. Black Platform Heels Balance Her High-Slit Dolce Gabbana Look

For the America’s Got Talent season 17 live show on August 23, Klum changed into a custom black Dolce Gabbana ensemble built around a crystal-trimmed bodysuit and floor-length knotted skirt.

The bodysuit featured a plunging neckline framed with rhinestones and crystal strands, while the skirt’s extreme thigh-high slit kept her footwear visible. Stylists Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn paired the look with black peep-toe platform heels, adding substantial height beneath the long hem without introducing another competing detail.

Klum’s shoes have been identified as Christian Louboutin Loubi Queen Alta MM platforms. The choice fits a much broader pattern in her footwear archive: Klum has repeatedly worn the French designer’s heels, including classic black Christian Louboutin sandals with a Missoni dress just a few months earlier in 2022.

Black peep-toe platform heels appear beneath Klum’s floor-length Dolce Gabbana skirt, whose thigh-high slit keeps the shoes in view on the AGT red carpet (Credit: Faye’s Vision / Cover Images)

Klum continued the sparkle with diamond earrings, a chunky bangle, and multiple statement rings.

Crystal latticework frames the plunging neckline of Klum’s custom Dolce Gabbana bodysuit, paired with a knotted high-slit skirt and black platforms (Credit: Faye’s Vision / Cover Images)

Hairstylist Lorenzo Martin gave her blonde hair a slicked side part and wet-look finish, while makeup artist Linda Hay emphasized her eyes with smoky black shadow and eyeliner, balanced by a matte nude lip.

Klum’s wet-look hair by Lorenzo Martin and smoky eye makeup by Linda Hay complement the crystal detailing of her black Dolce Gabbana look (Credit: Faye’s Vision / Cover Images)

3. Snakeskin Stiletto Boots Ground Her Stella McCartney Print Clash

Earlier on August 23, Klum arrived in another print-heavy outfit, this time centered on a Stella McCartney jumpsuit with a mirrored Hawaiian motif, spaghetti straps, a plunging V-neckline, and wide legs.

Heidi Klum layers a Stella McCartney Hawaiian-print jumpsuit with a contrasting geometric coat and pointed black-and-white ankle boots in Pasadena (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages / Cover Images)

She layered it with a long geometric-print coat and carried a black-and-white Intrecciato Olimpia crossbody bag by Bottega Veneta. Red geometric sunglasses added another strong shape near her face.

Klum carries a black-and-white Bottega Veneta Olimpia crossbody bag against her multicolored geometric outer layer (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages / Cover Images)

At her feet, black-and-white snakeskin ankle boots introduced a sharply pointed toe and slim stiletto heel. Their monochrome pattern echoes the graphic black-and-white treatment of the Bottega Veneta bag, giving the eye two related details amid the Hawaiian, geometric, and snakeskin prints.

A closer look at Klum’s black-and-white snakeskin ankle boots, featuring sharply pointed toes and slim stiletto heels beneath her layered prints (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages / Cover Images)

How Heidi Klum Uses Shoes to Change the Direction of an Outfit

Across these three Pasadena appearances, Klum used footwear in three distinct ways. The orange slingbacks repeated a key color from her separates, the black platforms supported the long proportions of her Dolce Gabbana evening look, and the snakeskin boots echoed the monochrome graphics of her Bottega Veneta bag while sitting beneath several competing prints.

This approach appears throughout Klum’s America’s Got Talent wardrobe. Her other AGT shoe looks range from pointed pumps and designer sneakers to snakeskin mules and minimalist sandals, with the footwear frequently changing the character of otherwise straightforward separates.