Lupita Nyong’o’s dress returned

A dress worn by actress Lupita Nyong’o at this year’s Oscars, and which was stolen this week has been recovered, Los Angeles police have said. The dress worth Sh13.5 million, was found in a bathroom of the same Hollywood hotel from where it had been stolen.

The Kenyan actress had worn the dress to Sunday’s Academy Awards in one of the most commented looks of the night. News of the disappearance of the dress dominated debate on Kenyan FM stations and social media. 

A section of Kenyans claimed the dress was not stolen, while others said it was just a publicity stunt. Police indicated they were tipped off by gossip site TMZ, who said they were contacted by a man claiming to be the thief.

The thief said he had returned the dress after learning the pearls studding the dress were fake.

6,000 natural pearls

The custom Calvin Klein-designed gown is coated with 6,000 natural pearls, but the purported thief said he took two of them for testing and was told they were not real.

The thief then took the dress back to the London West Hollywood hotel and left it in a garment bag inside a trash can in a bathroom, then tipped off TMZ about its location, TMZ told the LA county sheriff’s department in West Hollywood.

The website has shown grainy footage of an unidentified person opening the bag and finding a white dress. Detectives said they are working with the owners to ascertain whether it is the exact dress.

But Michael White of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said he believed it was. However, no arrests have been made so far. “Whether the jewels on the dress are fake or real... we still have a burglary and a grand theft,’’ Mr White said. Lupita, 31, said: “We talked about it (the dress) being fluid and liquid. I wanted it to be homage to the sea.”