Janelle Monáe’s ‘Phish Boy’ and Heidi Klum’s Countdown: Halloween’s Two Queens, Explained

4 min read

Part of today’s What You Missed: Saturday, Oct 31.

The hook

Every October, fashion’s group chat waits on two people. Vogue put it plainly on Oct. 30: “Every year, there are two celebrities who go all-out for Halloween: Heidi Klum and Janelle Monáe.” This year, LA’s queen has already made her move. New York’s is still keeping us guessing.

What happened

• Monáe debuted Phish Boy at the Santa Monica Pier. At her annual Wondaween celebration on Thursday, Oct. 29, Monáe stepped out as “Phish Boy,” an original character with bug eyes and hyperrealistic fins, Billboard reported. This year’s theme was “Creature Carnival.”
• It is an original creature, not a reference. “Phish Boy is an original character created by me and my long-term collaborator, Sasha Glassier,” Monáe told Vogue. “They are a hybrid of a human and a fish, and I imagined them as someone you might encounter at a carnival or circus.”
• The look is pure vintage showman. Vogue describes a striped black-and-white tuxedo vest, cropped trousers, a white shirt, red necktie, knee socks and brogues, finished with prosthetic scales and fins. Vogue credits Chelsea Delfino and Malina Stearns with helping Glassier paint and sculpt, and costume maker Alex Navarro with the uniform.
• The party had a sponsor and a stage. The Source reports Monáe made a costume reveal and then performed beneath the pier’s operating roller coasters, with Bacardí back for a second year as spirits partner and sets from Shaun Ross, DJ Millie and Nana Kwabena.
• Klum’s reveal is still pending. Her annual party takes place in New York City, and a week out she asked Instagram followers to guess her costume from a close-up of a prosthetic, People reported. She had earlier told People this year’s look would be “very bloody.”

Why people care

Halloween is one of the few nights when celebrity style is about craft rather than labels. Monáe’s quote gets at why the internet keeps watching: “I love that space where something can be beautiful, strange, and a little unsettling all at once.” Phish Boy is a full character, built by a named team, and she told Vogue she starts planning costumes “sometimes a year or two in advance.”

The clips are traveling. On YouTube, The Jennifer Hudson Show posted Janelle Monáe Transforms into ‘Phish Boy’ and SINGS a Siren Song to the Sad Mime, and Entertainment Tonight’s Heidi Klum Reveals 2026 Halloween Costume Is Her MOST ADVANCED Look EVER (Exclusive) teases what Klum is calling her most advanced look. Both went up Friday. Note that the ET title says “reveals,” but we could not find the full costume shown publicly as of Saturday morning; treat any details as unconfirmed until her party.

Klum set the bar high last year. For her party’s 25th anniversary in 2025 she went as Medusa, with green scales, a long tail and moving snakes for hair, per People.

What it means for you

• Shopping. You do not need a prosthetics team. Monáe’s base outfit is a thrift-able kit: a striped vest, cropped trousers, a red tie and knee socks. The creature details are what make it, so spend there.
• Styling. Pick a character, not a costume. Monáe’s rule, per Vogue, is that she wants “a whole character underneath the prosthetics.” Give yours a name and a backstory and you will pose better in every photo.
• Money. Special-effects makeup artists book out weeks ahead of Oct. 31. If you want a pro face next year, start calling in September.
• Career. Look at the credits. Vogue named every artist on Monáe’s team. If you sculpt, paint or sew in LA, celebrity Halloween is a real portfolio moment, and the people who get named are the ones who get hired again.
• Nightlife. Monáe is not done. Vogue reports she is hosting a private, VIP-only event called “Creature Camp” on Halloween night, with another costume expected.

Our take (opinion)

Monáe wins this round on originality. A human-fish carnival act with a striped vest is weirder and more personal than any recognizable reference, and it is the kind of costume people will copy next year. Klum still owns the scale and the suspense. The real lesson for the rest of us: the best Halloween looks start with a story and end with a team that gets credit.

RelatedZendaya Wore the Real Lanvin Set Halle Berry Wore in 2000. Why Archive Costumes Win

Sources

• Vogue, Oct. 30, 2026: Janelle Monáe on Transforming Into ‘Phish Boy’ for Halloween
• Billboard, Oct. 30, 2026: Janelle Monáe Is Absolutely Unrecognizable in Uncanny ‘Phish Boy’ Costume
• The Source, Oct. 31, 2026: Janelle Monáe Host Annual Wondaween Creature Carnival with BACARDI
• People: Heidi Klum Teases Her 2026 Halloween Costume
• Back to today’s roundup: What You Missed: Saturday, Oct 31

Photo: Headline screenshot of Billboard’s report, Oct. 30, 2026, linked above.

Code Red: Still sorting your Halloween plans? Code Red: Halloween ft. Don Woezik. Get tickets on Posh

Tips: Best costume you saw in LA this weekend? Tell us: editor@nightlifereport.app

nightlifereport.app | Tips: editor@nightlifereport.app | 1049 Havenhurst Dr, Unit 67, West Hollywood, CA 90046

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