Apple cider vinegar Is Pilates for you? 'Ambient gaslighting' 'Main character energy'
PEOPLE
Calvin Klein

Lupita, designer react to Oscar gown's return

Jayme Deerwester
USA TODAY
L.A. detectives believe they have recovered the pearl Calvin Klein dress that Lupita Nyong'o wore at last week's Academy Awards.

The man who took Lupita Nyongo's pearl-encrusted Oscar dress from the London West Hollywood Hotel earlier this week returned it Friday — not out of remorse, but because the pearls weren't real.

TMZ initially reported that a man called them Friday claiming he had lifted the Calvin Klein design from the actress' hotel room when it noticed the door was ajar. He says he then removed a couple of pearls from the frock, took them to Los Angeles' garment district to be appraised and found out they were fake.

So, as the burglar explained to the gossip site, he decided to unload the dress. He stuffed the garment bag into a trash bag and deposited it across from the hotel's gym. TMZ shared the location with the LAPD, who indeed found it there, hidden under a bathroom sink.

Nicole Nishida, a spokeswoman for the L.A. Sheriff's Department, told the Associated Press that the dress "greatly resembled" the one that went missing from Nyong'o's hotel room. She said the police were in the process of verifying it was the same gown.

When it was reported stolen, Nyongo's stylist claimed it was worth $150,000, although the thief says it's "almost worthless" because the jewels weren't real.

He apparently did not take into consideration the added value conferred on a custom gown by an Oscar winner wearing it at the Academy Awards. In a news conference on Friday, police spokesman Michael White told reporters that the suspect could still face burglary and grand theft charges regardless of whether or not the pearls were real. No one has been arrested yet, however.

In a statement, Nyong'o told Women's Wear Daily, "I'm happy that it has been potentially recovered. It's a timeless and priceless piece of art."

"Once it's returned to us, we will be able to have the dress restored and archived, as it now represents an important moment for the brand," added the dress' creator, Francisco Costa, in his own statement to WWD.

Featured Weekly Ad