Lupita Nyong’o Celebrated Her 39th Birthday by Throwing It Back to the ‘90s

Lupita Nyong’o would like you to know that she’s newly 39 and currently thriving. On Wednesday, the Academy Award winner Instagrammed a video of herself dancing to Harmonize’s version of “Happy Birthday,” as well as a series of closeups of what her stylist Micaela Erlanger described as a Nairobi blue ensemble by Sergio Hudson. (The Los Angeles- and New York-based designer is having a big week: He also designed the custom chestnut-brown ensemble that Vice President Kamala Harris wore to the State of the Union.)

Nyong’o paired her skintight peplum dress with a cropped blazer that you could easily imagine on Cher Horowitz. That’s no accident: Hudson’s spring 2022 collection was all about imagining what ‘90s figures like the Clueless character would wear on a safari. “I grew up in the ’90s, and you’d watch these girls who were obsessed with fashion and just dress up for no reason,” Hudson told Vogue of his inspiration when showing at New York Fashion Week in February.

Nyong’o completed the look with an ivory version of JW Pei’s vegan-leather Gabbi bag. The affordable accessory has proven surprisingly popular among celebrities; Emily Ratajkowski owns at least three, and Hailey Bieber has stepped out with the same exact version as Nyong’o’s.

Unfortunately, it’ll be quite a bit until we next see Nyong’o on the big screen. Between the pandemic and the death of her costar Chadwick Boseman, the release date of her next film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has been delayed until November. When it does roll around, one thing’s for certain: Nyong’o’s red carpet looks won’t disappoint.