With bustles and bouffants, the stars of the stage arrived in — what else? — the most theatrical of designs.

Even a light shower of rain over Midtown Manhattan couldn’t dampen the glamour of Tonys night at Radio City Music Hall. On Sunday’s red carpet — the show before the show (which is itself about shows) — multitudes of splendid white gowns were in attendance; colorful and funky tuxedos arrived en masse. There were fantastical mohawks, bedazzled snack bags, sartorial tributes to the Broadway stars of yore — and exactly one coat that looked like a down comforter. Here are the nine best looks of the evening.

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Sarah Paulson

This is a look that demands to be beheld again and again. Paulson’s powerful Schiaparelli creation smushed two very different silhouettes together into one sensational gown: a voluptuous black velvet halter on the top, a cream-colored flare skirt — embroidered heavily — on the bottom, with a couple of strange and fantastical shapes (is that a sweetheart neckline? all the way down there?) in between.

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Cole Escola

Cole Escola, nominated for best leading actor in a play, wore this custom Wiederhoeft as a tribute to the gown Bernadette Peters wore first in “Annie Get Your Gun” then wore at the 1999 Tonys to accept an award for her performance. From the Gibson Girl updo to the impeccably groomed chest hair all the way down to the saucy bustle at the back, this whole look is a plucky style move, befitting a trailblazing Broadway star.

Tom Francis

The “Sunset Boulevard” star, nominated for best lead actor in a musical, turned up to the Tonys in smoking slippers sans socks and a sueded-linen suit of a decidedly unusual color: a muted purple-brown that designer Todd Snyder calls “deep raisin.” Even the few drops of rain that landed on Francis’s shoulders couldn’t dilute the pure swagger of this look.

Cynthia Erivo

It’s great to see Cynthia Erivo free to explore the rest of the colors of the rainbow, as spectacular as her “Wicked” awards-season style was. This sculptural Schiaparelli, with a jewel-encrusted top in a gentle champagne color, was the first of several looks Erivo wore as the ceremony’s host, and while it may not have been green, it still, well, defied gravity. (Sorry! Some of us have not moved on!)

Sadie Sink

The “John Proctor Is the Villain” star (and best lead actress in a play nominee) floated around the carpet in a downright ethereal manner in this seemingly weightless Prada gown.

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David Henry Hwang

The author of “Yellow Face,” nominated for best revival of a play, cut a relaxed but refined figure ahead of the awards show, with a micro-pleated tuxedo jacket thrown with seemingly effortless elegance over a pair of cropped trousers and a deconstructed bow tie. The butterfly brooch was the proverbial golden cherry on top.

Auli’i Cravalho

Who wouldn’t want to wear this joyous, appetizingly sherbet-colored Carolina Herrera? The “Cabaret” star looked no less than delighted to be sporting this at the Tonys.

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Fina Strazza

“John Proctor Is the Villain” actress Fina Strazza, nominated for best featured actress in a play, was one of many who showed up to the red carpet in a white or cream-colored gown. But this Michael Faust dress stood out: With delicate details on top and a cascading, theatrical ball-gown skirt, it’s a picture of youthful grace.

Natalie Venetia Belcon