Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw is known for her of-the-moment modernist way of dressing, but her favorite fashion decade is actually more of a blast from the past.
“I was born in the ’80s, so I think I’ve always loved that era,” she tells InStyle. “And my hair is already naturally ’80s. I’m trying to bring back the corkscrew perm!”
Fitting then, that the star’s latest role, in Netflix’s Black Mirror, dives right into the decade—shoulder pads and all. The third season of the cult hit, which is available to stream today, is made up of a six-part anthology and Mbatha-Raw leads the episode “San Junipero,” alongside actress Mackenzie Davis. Each episode is a different take on how technology has transformed our lives—for better or worse.
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Mbatha Raw, who describes her episode as a “thought-provoking coming-of-age story—with a twist,” had lots of fun getting into the ’80s mind set. “My character is an extrovert and we really got to explore that with the costumes,” she says. “We were inspired by everyone from Madonna to Janet Jackson to Prince. My favorite piece was a purple suede vintage Versace jacket with tons of embellishment and beading. I also loved this pair of bright green disco pants that I couldn’t help but dance around in.”
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And while she didn’t get to keep the disco pants, the actress says she still finds a way to channel the vibes of the decade in her real life wardrobe too. “I always loved to wear Vivienne Westwood because she has a flirty cheekiness to her designs,” says Mbatha-Raw. “And of course, a little bit of that ’80s rebellion.”
Stream Black Mirror on Netflix now and check out the trailer above.