Broadway’s Bold and Beautiful: Our Top Five Tony Fashion Favorites

The 2011 Tony Awards have been handed out and the endless discussions of who won and who didn’t are well underway, but we’re equally concerned with the really important awards night news: the fashion! Who wore what, and who wore it best? This is the true drama of Broadway. Long sleeves and dramatic draping were all the rage, red was a universally popular color. The stars didn't make it easy, but after a heated debate in the Broadway.com offices, we’ve chosen our top five fashion icons of the 2011 Tonys.


1. Lily Rabe
As an actress and as a fashionista, Lily Rabe never goes for the obvious choice. For her first trip to the Tonys, the nominated star of The Merchant of Venice selected a sheer, long-sleeved gown by Prabal Gurung. Though the length and color seem demure, detailing kept the dress edgy. A high neck contrasts with an open back, a plunging rear-view is squared off at the bottom to create an unexpected shape, and the cutouts on the sleeves keep the dress from veering into bridal gown territory. Add in a pop of emerald Lorraine Schwartz jewelry, classic red lips and beautiful beach-y hair? Love love love it.


2. Sutton Foster
Decked out in Michael Kors, Anything Goes star Sutton Foster looked every inch a leading lady as she accepted her second Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She’s been a Broadway favorite for years, and this is her fifth trip to the Tonys, but in this sage green gown with a mermaid-style hem and glamorous—yet manageable—train, Foster has finally arrived as a force to be reckoned with on the Rialto fashion scene. With a chic chignon and understated makeup, and Broadway boyfriend Bobby Cannavale waiting nearby, Foster's look is the top.


3. Patina Miller
Best Actress nominee Patina Miller’s Sister Act character, aspiring ‘70s singer Deloris Van Cartier, counts Donna Summer among her career and fashion icons, and we’re pretty sure the disco diva would approve of this long-sleeved, snakeskin-print sequined gown by Naeem Khan. The high neck and cut-down-to-there back are the epitome of on-trend glam, and the simple Judith Ripka jewelry balance out the full-body bling she’s bringing to the red carpet. We’re told there are Givenchy shoes under there somewhere, but we’ll have to take her word for it!


4. Jennifer Damiano
Spider-Man sweetheart Jennifer Damiano melted our hearts in this canary yellow dress by Reem Acra. Damiano walked the red carpet in this deceptively simple gown with a tank-style bodice looking as fresh as her girl-next-door character Mary Jane Watson. The sheer, beaded overlayer and dramatic crimson lips kept the look from becoming too Carousel, if you know what we mean. With a side-swept updo and sky-high satin heels to match her dress, Damiano simply dripped Broadway diva-in-training—though we thought her co-star and red carpet escort Reeve Carney was the best accessory of all.


5. Judith Light
There is nothing we love more than a Broadway risk-taker, and that is exactly what Lombardi nominee Judith Light was in a red, stretch-crepe gown by Alexander McQueen that knocked our socks off. The full-length, long-sleeved number boasted gold and red bead and jewel embellishments on the collar and cuffs, so Light needed no jewelry, but Christian Louboutin shoes and a Judith Leiber clutch rounded out the look. The hair and makeup were veered into Dynasty territory, but Light pulled off the look with such authority that we had to hand it to her. Marie Lombardi would be proud.