When Bryce Dallas Howard announced that the plunging canary yellow gown she wore to the Critics’ Choice Awards was purchased for $250 at Topshop, the internet was abuzz with the idea of a celebrity choosing an affordable award show gown.
While Howard was the only one to reveal that her dress wasn't borrowed from a designer last night, she certainly isn’t the first celebrity to pick her ensemble off a (department store) rack. Stars like Madonna, Jane Fonda, and Hayden Panettiere have scooped up their winning looks without the helping hand of a major fashion house.
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While Howard’s explanation was size-related—she likes to have more size 6 options than just one—Panettiere had a different reason for purchasing her Tom Ford dress for the 2014 Golden Globes. “It’s the first time I’ve ever worn him, because I’ve been begging,” she said on the red carpet. “I feel sexy in it, I feel comfortable in it, and I’m in Tom Ford. I would wear a plastic bag if it was designed by him.”
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While the Nashville star was dying to wear Tom Ford, he was exclusively dressing Naomi Watts for the show, so she took matters into her own hands and bought the dress herself.
Keep scrolling for six award show gowns that these stars picked up off the rack.
Bryce Dallas Howard
Earlier in 2016, the actress picked up her off-the-rack Jenny Packham gown from Neiman Marcus just days before presenting at the Golden Globes.
Bryce Dallas Howard
For the 22nd annual Critics' Choice Awards, Howard chose a $250 dress from Topshop.
Hayden Panettiere
Panettiere made headlines when she revealed that she purchased this Tom Ford dress herself for the 2014 Golden Globes after he wouldn't dress her.
Edie Falco
At the same award show, Falco wore a red Lanvin dress that she also purchased. “I walked into Jeffrey on 14th Street in New York City and a woman named Chantal said, ‘I have just the dress for you,’ and this is it,” she told EW.
