21 of Lupita Nyong'o's best style moments
Frank Olito
- Lupita Nyong'o has become a red carpet fashion icon.
- The actress loves to wear bold, bright colors and interesting patterns.
- She wore some of her best looks at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and the Met Gala.
When Lupita Nyong'o jumped into the spotlight in 2013 with "12 Years a Slave," she brought a daring and bold fashion style that no one in Hollywood has dared to rival.
Over the next few years, Nyong'o gave us colorful and interesting fashion moments on red carpets all over the world. She quickly became a force in the fashion world and never missed a mark.
As she turns 38 on March 1, take a look back at some of Nyong'o's most memorable fashion looks.
At the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, Nyong'o wore a white gown with gold accents.
Still new to the world of high-fashion, Nyong'o turned heads when she wore this floor-length gown that had long sleeves, gold embellishments, and a matching gold purse.
Nyong'o showed off her love of bright colors at the 2013 Golden Globes.
The red Ralph Lauren gown caught the attention of many fashion critics.
"Lupita Nyong'o made her entrance at tonight's Golden Globes and then every other celebrity in attendance decided they'd rather just sneak in the back door because why even bother when you're up against this," Alex Rees at Cosmopolitan wrote in 2013. "I dare you to find fault with this outfit. I really do."
Nyong'o wore another colorful gown to the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2014.
She wore an eye-catching teal Gucci gown to the event.
The actress wore a memorable orange dress to the 2014 NAACP Image Awards.
The pleated skirt, deep neckline, and cinched waist made for a winning combination on this red carpet.
Nyong'o's blue gown at the 2014 Academy Awards is perhaps her most famous look of all time.
This year, Nyong'o's accepted her best supporting actress Academy Award for "12 Years a Slave" while wearing a sky blue gown from Prada.
"We're pretty sure there was a collective gasp around the world when the first time nominee stepped out of her limo in a pale blue custom-made Prada gown with Fred Leighton headband and jewelry," Cinya Burton at E! News wrote in 2014.
At the 2014 Met Gala, Nyong'o wore another Prada dress that made headlines.
For the 2014 Met Gala — themed "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" — Nyong'o wore a flapper-inspired dress with a headband, dropped waistline, and feathers.
"Lupita Nyong'o has quickly become not only the sweetheart of the fashion world, but of the whole world. Everyone has waited with bated breath to see what amazing gown she shows up in on the red carpet next," Jamie Feldman at Huff Post wrote in 2014. "So it's no surprise that she knocked it out of the park again for the 2014 Met Gala in a jaw-dropping Prada dress."
The actress turned heads with this colorful and abstract look at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards.
The Chanel dress was covered in different colors, patterns, and even textures.
"We're definitely staring at Nyong'o's fierce beauty — from her fishtail braid pompadour and smokey eye makeup, we're trying our hardest not to show up with this exact look tomorrow at The Huffington Post offices," Chanel Parks at Huff Post wrote in 2014.
In 2015, Nyong'o showed up to the Golden Globes in a purple gown that resembled a flower.
"Nyong'o made our mouths drop when she showed up at the 2015 Golden Globes in a violet and white Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown and Chopard earrings," Dana Oliver at Huff Post wrote in 2015.
That same year, the actress wore a multicolor, pleated gown to the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
US Weekly called this Elie Saab gown "stunning, swoon-worthy," and the publication even said Nyong'o "wins the 2015 SAG Awards red carpet."
Nyong'o's 2015 Oscars dress was made with over 6,000 pearls.
The Calvin Klein dress was made of pearls and included a halter top and revealing back.
"Nyong'o proved she could still wow on the red carpet without a nomination or even an appearance in a nominated film," Maren Quigley at Vanity Fair wrote in 2015.
To the 2016 Met Gala, the actress wore a green dress with a showstopping hairstyle.
The 2016 Met Gala was themed "Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology," and Nyong'o wore a shimmering green Calvin Klein Dress. But her tall hairdo was the night's "most epic red carpet moment," according to Teen Vogue.
Nyong'o wore a striking outfit with a matching headdress to the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.
Nyong'o paired bright blue pants with a multicolored top and matching headdress.
At the Hollywood premiere of her film "The Queen of Katwe," Nyong'o dazzled in a lavender gown and another matching headdress.
Multicolor straps perfectly complemented the flowy gown and the matching headdress.
This fringe gown at the 2018 Governors Awards made the actress really shine.
The Tom Ford dress was floor length with a plunging neckline and open shoulders. Danielle Jackson at Popsugar wrote in 2018 that the dress was "giving me all the 1920s It-girl vibes in the world."
Stepping out of her comfort zone, Nyong'o rocked an all-black gown at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscars party.
"Lupita ended her fun night in a black, beaded column dress by Giorgio Armani Privé that clung like a second skin and looked like it was made just for her," Florie Mwanza at Popsugar wrote in 2018.
At the world premiere of "Black Panther" in 2018, Nyong'o wore a bold purple gown with bedazzled, armor-like details.
Nyong'o's stylist told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018 that the Versace gown was inspired by her "warrior character, Nakia...without being costumey."
Nyong'o's light pink evening dress at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 reminded some of a princess.
The Prada dress was made of organza and billowed in the air as she moved.
In 2019, Nyong'o showed up at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in a feathery number.
The Oscar de La Renta look had an asymmetrical skirt, a feathery train, and a black belt.
The actress decided on another bold blue gown for the 2019 Golden Globe Awards.
Nyong'o paired her fringe Calvin Klein gown with affordable shoes from Aldo, according to Harper's Bazaar.
Wearing a high slit and off-the-shoulder gown, Nyong'o turned heads at the 2019 NAACP Image Awards.
This eggplant monochrome look was designed by Giambattista Valli.
Nyong'o wore a statement print to the Governors Awards in 2019.
The colorful, floral dress was designed by Givenchy. Harper's Bazaar called it one of the best looks on the red carpet that day.
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