We're on the ground here in Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Festival, and out of all the burning fashion questions we have for celebs (who, for the record, are just as stylish in their snow gear as they are in red carpet looks), we were most eager to speak with the actress who's been dressing herself—no stylist, no loaner gowns from big-name brands—this awards season.
Bryce Dallas Howard at the Golden Globe Awards wearing Jenni Packham,which she bought at Neiman Marcus.
Jurassic World Star Bryce Dallas Howard made waves at the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics' Choice Awards earlier this month, announcing that she bought her own dresses to wear on the carpet—which is virtually unheard of in the era of lucrative deals with luxury houses (see Jennifer Lawrence, Dior), when actresses are known to nab looks only hours after they are presented on the runway.
Howard at Sundance
"I've alluded to this a little bit before, but when you're not a sample size or if you don't have a direct relationship with a designer or if you don't have a lot of notice—those size 6 dresses aren't available," Howard said on the Critics' Choice red carpet, while wearing a jersey Balmain dress that she bought online at Forward by Elyse Walker for $1,300. "I like having lots of options for a size 6 as, opposed to maybe one option."
We got a chance to speak with Howard on Monday, on the occasion of receiving IMDb's STARmeter Award, for achieving a staggering 250 million hits on the entertainment site last year. "The first thing I thought when they told me, I thought, Oh these people really love dinosaurs," joked Howard, who has signed on for the Jurassic World sequel (this time, no running in heels).
When we got to the subject of her outfitting herself for the carpets this season, she blushed.
"I'm slightly embarrassed to talk about it because I just want to survive those things and it's a the celebration of people's work and all of that. ... But at a certain point, maybe it becomes more about the dress,"
At the Critics' Choice Awards in Balmain
"Shopping is how I get my clothes, like all of us and it was a really special night and I spent more money than I ever spent in my life other than like, shelter, and I was just so happy that I kind of survived it," she said.
As for shopping strategy she said she's just like any of us. "It's like anything, you've got a wedding, a prom, you want to feel comfortable—or somewhat comfortable."
But what made Howard really take a gulp, was the big-ticket prices. "I get a little embarrassed to talk about about it because these are really really expensive outfits. It's not like I went and got some vintage, that I rummaged around in bin and turned it into a red carpet gown!" she mused. "I was a little like, oh my gosh, these are so expensive. I threw a lot of savings around that [and then as I was shopping] I got to thinking maybe 'I can consign this or auction it, because it's not something that I would normally [buy].'"
Howard isn't the first to openly discuss the lack on the lack of designer dresses in anything larger than a sample size, typically a size zero or two. After not being able to find a designer dress to wear to the Oscars, Melissa McCarthy, famously decided to launch her own collection. Hear that, Bryce? Just sayin'.
