Priscilla Queen of the Desert and The Book of Mormon win big.

Australian costume designers Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel have picked up a Tony at Sunday’s glitzy awards ceremony for the stage musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

The pair, who designed the costumes for the original Australian film starring Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving in drag, was honoured in the category of Best Costume Design of a Musical. Their outlandish frocks, corsets, heels and wigs – including the trailing silver gown worn by the character of Adam atop a tour bus in the film – won them an Oscar 16 years ago.

This time, the design duo had the luxury of the show’s mega budget to give their camp creations a little extra polish. For the movie, they famously crafted a thrifty dress made almost entirely out of thongs, setting production back $7.

In her acceptance speech at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre, Gardiner expressed gratitude to her US colleagues on Broadway. “Americans, you are so generous to outsiders and it’s amazing and it says so much about your culture.

“I’ve been on this crazy bus ride called Priscilla for 20 years and an Oscar and a Tony is just ridiculous,” she...