The Best Dressed Stars of the 2026 Tony Awards
From Maya Rudolph in Chanel to Sarah Paulson in Erdem
Reported by Harper's Bazaar.
The Tony Awards red carpet has always operated by its own rules — theatrical without being costume-y, glamorous without the Hollywood sheen. At the 79th annual ceremony held at Radio City Music Hall, the best-dressed guests delivered exactly that, according to Harper's Bazaar. The looks split cleanly into two camps: those who came to make noise, and those who arrived to make a statement through restraint. Both camps won.
Leading the drama contingent was Cole Escola — the original Mary in the breakout hit Oh, Mary! — in an electric pink silk taffeta set: a gathered-sleeve collared blouse and wide-leg trousers that read as equal parts fashion risk and theatrical declaration. Sarah Paulson matched that energy in a color-blocked, tea-length Erdem dress loaded with floral embroidery and ribbon detailing at the shoulder and hip — sharp, British, and exactly as confident as you'd expect. Lesley Manville closed out the high-impact contingent in an off-the-shoulder orange sequin gown with a cape trailing behind her, because why not.
The Case for Quiet Power
Maya Rudolph, who steps into the Oh, Mary! role Escola originated and was also presenting at tonight's ceremony, chose a different kind of showmanship. Her black Chanel tank dress — pulled from the Fall 2026 collection — featured a gathered, fluted hem and was styled with a gold disc-bead necklace worn exactly as it appeared on the Paris runway this past March. Rose Byrne kept pace in an off-white, embellished Prada boatneck sheath with black bows at the shoulders and armholes cut low enough to remind everyone this wasn't a funeral. Queen Latifah bridged both worlds in a clean black Naeem Khan dress layered with an iridescent black feather cape — technically understated, visually anything but.
What unified an otherwise eclectic red carpet was a shared understanding of the assignment: this is Broadway, not the Met Gala, and the clothes should feel like they belong to someone rather than wearing them. Pink taffeta, orange sequins, Chanel, Prada — none of it felt accidental. Theater people, it turns out, know how to dress for an audience.
When the clothes have a point of view, there's no such thing as trying too hard.
Read the original at Harper's Bazaar.
