Do It Like Dolly
WELCOME TO
DOLLYWOOD
Behind the seams of the country fashion icon is a rhinestone-loving star who believes in “more is more” and pays homage to the feminized take on Western wear.
Pack Your Bags, We’re Going to
Dollywood
Where the Dollywood lights shine bright, you will find a robust musical discography, sensational philanthropy work, and a wardrobe that is unique to the buxom blonde.
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born into a large family of good ol’ boy musicians deep in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. The southern belle had been singing all her life, and Nashville caught on to the star quickly. Dolly’s career, alongside her style, truly came to life in the 1960’s. Dolly says her look was patterned by the “Town Trollop” folks criticized, but she always believed she was overwhelmingly and artificially fabulous. And she made a fortune out of it.
A phone call to appear on the Porter Wagoner show put Dolly front and center on the screen for the first time, but she stayed there forever. Each show included a few performances, witty banter, and costume wear that demanded the screen. “It's hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world,” she said after picking up a minor rhinestone addiction from this cast. Their chemistry on stage matched perfectly with their flashy outfits; his good old-fashioned sensibility and her new fashions went boot for boot.
“Im not a fashion icon-
Im an eyesore!”
She laughs when people call her a fashion icon, she tells Vogue. Her aesthetic in excess has always been apparent, however. From the start, she the country star was all about dolling herself up. Her origins Cowgirl Barbie Doll look is achieved by keeping the makeup bright and the clothes tight. In the 1960s, she says she always loved the trending shift dresses, even if they were made by her mom out of feed sack. The 1970’s were fashion-focused and Dolly although was central to the South, but she’ll “take the country with her wherever she goes.” Her favorite things to wear were the things that moved with her—flowy dresses and oversized sleeves. Her ability to go from a hyper-sexualized look and softer, romantic ensembles is part of what deems her a style icon.
JOLENE
Next time you find yourself asking “W.W.D.D, What would Dolly do?,” Remember this: coining the term “Dolly-ize,” Dolly believes the central tenets of her style to be gaudy, flashy, fun, comfortable, and noticeable.
She laughs when people call her a fashion icon, she tells Vogue. Her aesthetic in excess has always been apparent, however. From the start, the country star was all about doll(y-)ing herself up. Her original Cowgirl Barbie Doll look is achieved by keeping the makeup bright and the clothes tight. In the 1960’s, she says she always loved the trending shift dresses, even if they were made by her mom out of a feed sack. The 1970’s were fashion-focused and Dolly although was an enigma to the South, but she’ll “take the country with her wherever she goes.” Her favorite things to wear were the things that moved with her—flowy dresses and oversized sleeves. Her ability to go from a hyper-sexualized look and softer, romantic ensembles is part of what deems her a style icon.
The higher the hair,
the closer to Gaudy.
She always opted for maximalism: long nails, high heels, big hair. Dolly’s incredibly outgoing personality and bold voice required a wardrobe that would match, and her petite figure made it evident that just about everything else about her was massive. We’ve all heard, “the higher the hair, the closer to God,” In that case, Dolly and the legends beside her like Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn must’ve been angels.
Artificial, but real
where it counts
Although her styles changed throughout the decades of her reign, one thing remained constant- the hair. Starting from the Beehives, backcombing, and teasing of the ’60s, the ’70s came with more of a curl synonymous with the clothes- whipped cream curls, more length and motion. “Q-tip” became Dolly’s nickname in the 80s because of her petite build with the puffy and tightly curled locks.
If Dolly were to run for office in Southern Tennessee, she’d probably win. (Can you imagine the pantsuits?) In a hypothetical campaign, read her book “Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones” that was published just last year.
Written by
Kylie Caldwell