Bryce Dallas Howard doesn’t fit the standard sample size so buys her own dresses for red carpet events [Photo: Getty]

Glowing in a strappy mustard gown, Bryce Dallas Howard was one of the best dressed stars at last night’s Critics’ Choice Awards.

Little did we know that the 35-year-old actress wasn’t wearing a mega expensive designer dress. Bryce revealed that she bought the eye-catching style from Topshop for $240 after finding no designer options for her size.

“When you’re not ‘sample’ size, or when you don’t have a direct relationship with a designer, those types of size 6 dresses just aren’t available,” she told People, adding that buying online “is the comfortable way to go through these things.”

The actress also bought a dress for the 2016 Golden Globes [Photo: Getty] More

This isn’t the first time the actress has purchased her own red carpet dresses. For the 2016 Golden Globes, she bought a blue Jenny Packham design from Neiman Marcus and also spent $1300 on a plunging Pierre Balmain gown at last year’s Critics’ Choice.

The news that designers are unable to dress Bryce at short notice doesn’t come as a surprise. British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman recently revealed that brands “refused to lend clothes” for plus-sized model Ashley Graham’s cover shoot, expressing her disappointment at some designers’ limited view of beauty: “It seems strange to me that while the rest of the world is desperate for fashion to embrace broader definitions of physical beauty, some of our most famous fashion brands appear to be travelling in the opposite – and, in my opinion, unwise – direction.”

Yet another story in the endless struggle for diversity.

Brands “refused to lend clothes” for Ashley Graham’s Vogue cover shoot

All hail the body positive lingerie campaign breaking beauty boundaries