Why We’re Obsessed With Lupita Nyong’o’s Fringy Jimmy Fallon Look

There’s more than just one way to wear an afro. In fact, for The Odyssey’s Lupita Nyong’o, she seems to rarely even wear the same style twice. 

Since the film’s press tour began early July, Nyong’o’s hairstylist Vernon Fraçois has turned her texture into a number of sculptures. She’s gone from what he coined little “loopfros” to an afro version of Lipombo, a head elongation tradition from the Democratic Republic of  Congo’s Mangbetu people. 

Now, one of her latest looks is a style we rarely see executed with afros: a fringe. OnThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Fraçois cut fringe in the front, picking out her hair into an elongated bang. To make the look more sculpted, the top of her hair was flat and extended over her forehead with a natural edge instead of round like a classic afro. 

Meanwhile, the back is what he described as a “cropped, teeny-weenie afro” compacted and rounded closer to her head. The nape of her neck was cut shorter, which proved playing with various lengths is how he achieves her most sculpted, versatile looks.

To complement Nyongo’s fringe, her makeup artist Nick Barose gave her ‘80s electric blue eyes (using Hung Vanngo Color Story Eyeshadow Palette in Brilliant Blue to match her manicure) lined with black gel liner. Then, he contrasted her shadow with a silky plum lip via Chanel Beauty’s Rouge Coco Flash in the shade 96 Phénoméne. 

As for her outfit, her stylist Micaela Erlanger put her in a black, textured Diotima set. Her beaded crop top and fringe-knitted skirt was the ultimate pairing for her gorgeous coiffed ‘fro, turning fringes into the style of late summer.