DEEP DIVE

Peter Nyong’o, Lupita’s Little Brother, Knows He Looks Amazing in a Dress

The 24-year-old has joined his sister in making waves with his personal style.


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Mumbi Muturi-Muli, courtesy of @juniornyongo

Since catapulting into fame in 12 Years a Slave, Lupita Nyong’o has made a name for herself not just in Hollywood, but also on the red carpet. These days, though, she isn’t the only one in the family known for her personal style; her little brother Peter Nyong’o is also starting to make headlines for his looks even off of the red carpet, turning heads last week in a far less photographed environment: a music festival in Nairobi.

The 24-year-old’s name may not be familiar—he also goes by Junior Nyong’o, and, by the way, is known to call his sister “Lupiterella” or Princess Luppy”—but you might recognize his face from the instantly viral selfie that Ellen DeGeneres took at the 2014 Academy Awards, featuring a who’s who of Hollywood like Meryl Streep and Brad Pitt. His move to join the photo even ended up partially blocking out Angelina Jolie, and led his sister, who took home the Oscar for Best Actress that night, to declare that he’d “upstaged” her win.

Junior Nyong’o’s presence did not go unnoticed; over next few days, he’d become a talking point on the Ellen Degeneres Show and landed himself an invitation to lunch with Oprah Winfrey. Then in his freshman year, Nyong’o has since wrapped up studying theater and playing soccer near Orlando, Florida at Stetson University—an accomplishment he celebrated last year in a Power Rangers onesie.

More recently, though, Nyong’o made sartorial waves this month when he wore a floaty red maxidress to a music festival in Nairobi, matching his girlfriend Wanja Wohoro, a singer from Sydney and Nairobi. His nearly 30,000 Instagram followers’ thoughts on the look were mixed, to say the least, with some making queries like “is he gay?” and “is that lupita or u just borrowed her dress?”. (Nyong’o later responded to one such query, “Bro what’s up with the dress,” on his Instagram Stories: “There is no thought process my G. If a piece of clothing looks good it looks good.”

He also continued to stand by the look on Twitter, where he goes by “Flower Boy,” before concluding with an Ariana Grande reference.

Unsurprisingly for someone who’s cited Ezra Miller, who recently made his way down a red carpet in a gown-slash-puffer coat, as his style icon, this isn’t the first time Nyong’o has attracted attention for his fashion choices. The kanga head wrap and septum piercing he showed off while accompanying his sister on the red carpet of several Star Wars premieres late last year also weren’t met with too kindly.

Lupita Nyong’o and Peter Nyong’o at the premiere of *Star Wars: The Last Jedi* in Los Angeles, December 2017.

Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images

In case you couldn’t tell from the dress, none of that seems to have gotten to him. In fact, he’s been Instagramming a steady stream of photos of himself wearing everything from lipstick to saris ever since—though it seems he has yet to wear a ballgown outside of a theater production.

So far, though, no earring or head wrap has managed to compete with his most conversation-starting accessory: an enormous blunt, which he shared with Snoop Dogg earlier this year.

Related: Cara Delevingne Texted Princess Eugenie for Permission to Break the Royal Wedding Dress Code

Lupita Nyong’o’s Best Red Carpet Moments, from 12 Years a Slave to Queen of Katwe

Lupita Nyong’o stole the show in a dramatic vermilion Ralph Lauren cape dress and minimal jewelry at the 2014 Golden GLobes.

Photo by Getty Images.

Following her red carpet hit at the Golden Globes, Nyong’o chose a similarly dramatic take on a simple silhouette for the 2014 Critics’ Choice Awards. The combination of her white Calvin Klein Collection dress, Paul Andrew shoes, and Kimberly Macdonald jewelry was simply stunning.

Photo by Getty Images

For the less formal Producers Guild Awards, the 12 Years a Slave ** star looked smart in a beige cutout dress and strappy black sandals by Stella McCartney. She added a bit of texture to the otherwise simple look with a snakeskin-printed Chesneau Heltzel Minaudières clutch and Jamie Wolf jewelry.

Photo by Getty Images

Though nothing could diminish our love for Nyong’o, her outfit of choice for the SAG Awards—a turquoise Gucci dress and matching makeup—was a little too blue for our tastes.

Ethan Miller

Nyong’o’s pretty vintage Valentino dress at Entertainment Weekly’s SAG Awards Pre-Party demonstrated her masterful style.

Nyong’o looked sweet at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon in a light pink, printed Dior dress and Paul Andrew blue velvet pumps. Mise en Dior blue pearl earrings (the trendiest accessory of the season) and a Judith Leiber clutch polished off the pretty look.

In a glamorous green Dior at the BAFTAs—accessorized with a gold metal belt and cuffs, no less—the star reminded us what Hollywood is all about.

Lupita Nyong’o in 2014.

Lupita Nyong’o in Prada at the 2014 Met Gala.

Lupita Nyong’o at the 86th Annual Academy Awards in 2014 wearing Prada.

Lupita Nyong’o at the Oscars in 2015.

Lupita Nyong’o in Gucci at Cannes in 2015.

Lupita Nyong’o at the 2015 Golden Globes.

Lupita Nyong’o in Alessandra Rich in 2015. Photo by Getty Images

Lupita Nyong’o in Dior and Sophia Webster in 2014. Photo by StartraksPhoto.com.

Lupita Nyong’o in Gucci in New York, New York, March 2016.

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Lupita Nyong’o in Balmain on Late Night with Seth Meyers, March 2016.

NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Lupita Nyong’o in Dolce & Gabbana at Variety’s Power of Women lunch in New York, New York, April 2016.

WireImage

Lupita Nyong’o in Calvin Klein at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala for Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology in New York, New York, May 2016.

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Lupita Nyong’o in Boss at the 70th annual Tony Awards in New York, New York, June 2016.

FilmMagic

Lupita Nyong’o in DPipertwins at the Fem the Future Pre-VMAs Brunch hosted by Janelle Monáe in New York, New York, August 2016.

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Lupita Nyong’o in Carolina Herrera at the premiere of Queen of Katwe at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, September 2016.

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Lupita Nyong’o in Mary Katrantzou at the Vanity Fair and Tiffany & Co. dinner in her honor in Toronto, Canada, September 2016.

Getty Images for Vanity Fair

Lupita Nyong’o in Erdem on Jimmy Kimmel Live, September 2016.

ABC via Getty Images

Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo attend a screening of Queen of Katwe on September 25, 2016 in New York City.

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Lupita Nyong’o in Kibonen NY promoting Queen of Katwe at Sirius XM Studios in New York, New York, September 2016.

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Lupita Nyong’o in Elie Saab at the premiere of Queen of Katwe in Hollywood, California, September 2016.

FilmMagic

Lupita Nyong’o in an Escada coat at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, September 2016.

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Lupita Nyong’o in Monse leaving The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, September 2016.

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Lupita Nyong’o at the 2016 Met Gala.

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