Lupita Nyong’o makes a splash in fashion world

The star of 12 Years a Slave has transformed from a largely unknown actress into Hollywood’s best-dressed woman. By Christina HorstenShe was at the Golden Globes in red, the Baftas in lime green and the Oscars in sky blue: in a few short weeks, actress Lupita Nyong’o has emerged as a global fashion icon. The 30-year-old star of 12 Years a Slave has been transformed from a promising but largely unknown actress into Hollywood’s best-dressed woman. “This year’s standout fresh face” is what New York Magazine called the beautiful dark-skinned Kenyan.USA Today attested to her almost “aristocratic refinement.”Nyong’o’s rise had been unforeseen, even by experts. In her short resume of theatre and film engagements, she had been associated with serious, even tragic roles that could not have been further from the glamour of fashion that she now represents.Before her out-of-nowhere success with 12 Years a Slave, she admits she did not pay a huge amount of attention to how she dressed. “I never purchased (fashion) magazines, was never really aware of the industry. I just liked to wear what I liked to wear,” she told USA Today.It was her “amazing stylist” Micaela Erlanger who clued her in to the world of style, she says, transforming the petite Nyong’o into the centre of attraction on every red carpet this year, pushing her onto cover pages globally. Her trademark is fire-engine-red lipstick and radiantly coloured but always elegant dresses. “Micaela’s able to take my taste and translate it,” says Nyong’o, who describes her dress sense as both “classic and modern — sophisticated but with a sense of humour.”Now a New York City resident, Nyong’o says thanks to her fashion mentor, she has learned “to appreciate that fashion is art.”“A few weeks ago, I put on a dress and, for the first time, it moved me to tears.”Even before beating out the likes of Julia Roberts for the Oscar for best supporting actress, Nyong’o’s life had changed. She was born in Mexico City, the daughter of a Kenyan politician, and raised the second of six children in her father’s homeland. She went to college in the United States, worked on several film projects and finally found a place in the acting programme at one of America’s renowned universities, Yale. Then she was, as they say, “discovered.” Director Steve McQueen was looking for just the right actress for a major role in his latest film. He saw the unknown Kenyan in a video and “rubbed my eyes in disbelief.” She was perfect.The story of her father’s dry response after she got the part is one of her favourite stories. “I said, ‘Daddy, do you know Brad Pitt? I’m going to be in a movie with him!’ And he said, ‘I don’t know him personally, but I’m glad you got a job.’”It is one of the few anecdotes she tells of her personal life. The rest she keeps to herself. “I don’t know why, but I like to keep that part of it very intimate and very small,” she says. Her biggest global platform yet was the Oscars ceremony this year. Wearing a sky-blue Prada gown and once again styled by Micaela Erlanger, Nyong’o was a winner before she ever graced the stage. — DPA