- Lupita Nyong’o is known for her roles in films like “12 Years a Slave,” “Black Panther,” and “Us.”
- Her red carpet style has changed over the years, and she never shies away from wearing bold colors.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Lupita Nyong’o became a breakout star in Hollywood after her performance in the 2013 film “12 Years a Slave.” And since then, she’s gone on to land roles in major films like “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Black Panther,” and Jordan Peele’s “Us.”
Her red carpet style has changed over the years, but one thing that’s clear is that Nyong’o is never afraid to take fashion risks.
Here’s a look at the stunning outfits Nyong’o has worn.
At the 2013 Toronto premiere of “12 Years a Slave,” Nyong’o wore a white and gold gown, and accessorized with a bedazzled gold clutch.
Nyong’o starred as Patsey in “12 Years A Slave.”
Nyong'o opted for a black, strapless jumpsuit at a Hollywood Foreign Press Association and InStyle party held on September 9, 2013.
Nyong'o was joined at the event by Jessica Chastain, Mark Wahlberg, and Emilia Clarke.
Nyong'o wore red heels and metallic, purple eyeshadow to complete her "12 Years a Slave" premiere outfit.
The film won three Oscars in 2014.
Nyong'o never shies away from wearing a bright and bold color.
She wore this J. Mendel gown at the 2013 Hollywood Film Awards.
In November 2013, Nyong'o wore a silver and black Chanel outfit to New York City's Museum of Modern Art.
The event was a tribute to actress Tilda Swinton.
At GQ's Men of the Year party, Nyong'o wore a pastel pink dress with fun cutouts, pointed heels, and a clutch that completed her outfit.
The event took place at The Ebell Club of Los Angeles on November 12, 2013.
Nyong'o had fun in a Lanvin color-block gown at the BAFTA LA Jaguar Britannia Awards.
George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Idris Elba also joined Nyong'o at the award show.
Nyong'o made her first Golden Globes appearance in 2014, wearing a bright red Ralph Lauren gown.
That year, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture.
Nyong'o wore this sleek, white cutout dress to the 2014 Critics' Choice Movie Awards.
The look was completed with sparkly eyeshadow and a silver clutch.
Nyong'o unintentionally matched with her statuette at the 2014 SAG Awards.
She won the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role for "12 Years a Slave."
At The Hollywood Reporter's Nominees Night in February 2014, Nyong'o opted for a nude-colored dress with a bright red lip shade and strappy heels.
The event was held in Beverly Hills, California.
At the EE British Academy Film Awards, Nyong'o wore a strapless, green Christian Dior dress that cascaded over the red carpet.
Her gold accessories completed the look.
Nyong'o was a standout at the 2014 NAACP Image Awards, wearing an orange Givenchy dress, metallic eyeshadow, and gold jewelry.
That day, Nyong'o took home the award for outstanding supporting actress in a motion picture.
Nyong'o's custom pale blue Prada dress was one of the most talked-about looks from the 2014 Oscars.
"It's a blue that reminds me of Nairobi, so I wanted to have a little bit of home," Nyong'o explained at the red carpet.
Nyong'o switched things up for the post-Oscars celebrations, wearing a white dress with green accents and matching peep toe heels.
Nyong'o proudly held her Oscar at the Vanity Fair party in West Hollywood, California.
At the 100th Annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Nyong'o wore a classy black gown with white polka dots.
Her hot pink lip shade was a surprising, yet fun addition to the outfit.
Nyong'o attended her first Met Gala on May 5, 2014 and wore a daring head-to-toe green Prada outfit.
The addition of purple eye makeup paired well with her green theme.
At the 2014 MTV Movie Awards, Nyong'o wore a colorful Chanel dress with busy patterns.
You never know what Nyong'o will wear to a red carpet, and somehow she pulled off this risky look.
Nyong'o's 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards look proves that she is willing to have fun with her outfits.
Her pink shoes, blue eyeshadow, and lip shade perfectly match her striped look.
At the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, Nyong'o wore a gorgeous, floral Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown.
She elevated the look with bright pink Lancome lipstick and purple eyeshadow.
Nyong'o was glowing in this long-sleeved Elie Saab dress at the 2015 SAG Awards.
Her makeup artist, Nick Barose, said the beauty look was inspired by "Gone With the Wind."
At the 2015 Academy Awards, Nyong'o stunned in this custom Calvin Klein dress, which was reportedly made using more than 6,000 pearls.
Her Nicholas Kirkwood shoes also had pearls on them.
At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2015, Nyong'o wore a custom green Gucci gown with floral accents.
Taking to Instagram, Nyong'o called the dress shade "grasshopper green," and it paid homage to Uganda.
For the "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" premiere in December 2015, Nyong'o sparkled in a metallic Alexandre Vauthier Haute Couture gown.
"I thought I'd bring the galaxy with me," Nyong'o said on the red carpet.
The actress dazzled in this neon green shirt and sequined skirt at the 2016 premiere of "The Jungle Book."
Nyong'o voiced the character Raksha in "The Jungle Book."
At the 2016 Met Gala, Nyong'o embraced the "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology" theme with this shiny, jade gown.
Nyong'o said that her hairstyle was inspired by Nina Simone and "sculptural hairdos from all around the continent."
Nyong'o's colorful Tony Awards dress was actually inspired by a video game.
"I was looking at these Tetris colors and [wanted to] create something bright and exciting and textural," designer Jason Wu told Vogue.
Nyong'o looked elegant and beautiful in this lilac Elie Saab outfit at the premiere for Disney's "Queen of Katwe" in September 2016.
Nyong'o starred as Nakku Harriet in the film.
Nyong'o was one of the women honored at Elle's Women in Hollywood Awards in October 2016. She wore a shimmering dress designed by Duro Olowu.
"I grew up with a very limited mirror of myself," Nyong'o said. "I watched a lot of TV, but the people on it were always light skinned. And now I have a platform that takes me into people's houses and onto the pages of their magazines."
People couldn't get enough of Nyong'o in an orange, feathered Prada dress at the 2017 Met Gala.
If you look closely, you'll notice that several different eyeshadow colors were applied to her lids.
At the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards, Nyong'o wore this asymmetrical, light gold Jason Wu creation.
She added feathered shoes and minimal accessories to complete the look.
At San Diego Comic Con in July 2017, Nyong'o wore a green outfit and participated in a Marvel panel that included a "Black Panther" teaser.
She also showed up to the convention disguised as a pink "Power Ranger."
For the red carpet premiere of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," the actress wore a dark green, sparkling Halpern dress and jewelry from Tiffany & Co.
This is not the first time she's stunned in a green outfit.
Nyong'o stepped out at the 2018 SAG Awards wearing a silver and black gown with a feathered train.
She presented at the show with Brie Larson.
At the "Black Panther" premiere, Nyong'o wore a custom purple and gold Atelier Versace gown, perfect for the Marvel movie.
Nyong'o stars as Nakia in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Nyong'o opted for a black and gold Versace gown for the 2018 Oscars.
The dress included a thigh-high slit.
At the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscars celebration, Nyong'o changed into a sleek black dress with a plunging neckline.
The outfit was designed by Armani Prive.
In May 2018, she wore a voluminous pale pink dress.
The actress was in France for the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival.
The actress wore a blue beaded Calvin Klein dress to the 2019 Golden Globes.
Nyong'o also wore affordable silver heels from Aldo.
At the 2019 Oscars, Nyong'o wore a one-shoulder, feathered Oscar de la Renta dress.
She accessorized with black Roger Vivier shoes, Forevermark diamond rings, and a Tyler Ellis clutch.
Nyong'o wore red contacts to match her crimson dress at the UK premiere of "Us" in March 2019.
Makeup artist Nick Barose told Insider that the look was inspired by "fierce women in '80s music videos" and he hoped the look "inspires women to embrace their darker and wicked sides."
Later that month at the NAACP Image Awards, she wore a dark purple gown with billowing sleeves and a thigh-high slit.
Nyong'o was nominated for best supporting actress in a motion picture for her role in "Black Panther."
At the 2019 Met Gala, she wore a vibrant gown.
The theme was "Camp: Notes on Fashion."
At the Governor's Awards in October 2019, the actress wore a colorful, floral halter dress from Givenchy.
She also wore green eye makeup to match her dress.
At the 2020 SAG Awards, Nyong'o wore a floral Louis Vuitton dress.
"We wanted to do a graphic look, pairing black with '60s-inspired white eyeliner to make cat eyes more fun," Barose, her makeup artist, told Vogue.