Dolly Parton, the 11-time Grammy winner and country music legend, cultivated a distinctive personal style that became as recognizable as her music. Known for her voluminous hair, sparkling ensembles, and bold fashion choices, Parton embraced a look she famously described as "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap."
Parton's approach to fashion was unapologetically her own, often defying industry expectations. In 1978, she became the first country music star to cover Playboy, opting for a non-nude spread and asserting her right to dress as she pleased. "I have to look the way I choose to look, and this is what I’ve chose," she told the magazine. "It makes me different a little bit, and ain’t that what we all want to do: be a little different?"
Her style evolved over six decades, marked by key moments and collaborations. For the 1974 cover of her "Jolene" album, she wore a striped jumpsuit by Nashville seamstress Lucy Adams, prioritizing comfort and movement. "And I always loved puffy sleeves," she recalled.
By 1976, Parton was already known for her sky-high hair and love of sparkles, drawing early inspiration from what she called "the town trollop." She told Jimmy Fallon, "I thought she was the most beautiful thing, because she had all this makeup, hair, tight clothes and everything I wanted."
In 1980, for the premiere of "9 to 5," Parton collaborated with the film's costume designer, Ann Roth, opting for a pink lace gown and matching makeup. "I thought that I needed to be fancy, and I didn’t know how to do that," she told Vogue, adding, "I remember feeling really pretty. That was probably the first time that I ever felt fashionable."
For the 1984 "Rhinestone" premiere, Parton chose an off-the-shoulder white gown with sparkling black beadwork to stand alongside co-star Sylvester Stallone. "I knew he’d be dressed to the nines … so I tried to look my Dolly best," she said.
During the late 1980s, her outfits for her namesake variety show reflected the era's power dressing trends, often featuring large shoulder pads. "Tony [Chase, the show’s costume designer] was always trying to put me in all these clothes that had these big ol’ shoulders," she recalled. "I said, ‘Tony, you gotta tone it down a little. There ain’t nothing big about me but my mouth and my boobs!’"
Parton also served as host and musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" in 1989, with designer Tony Chase creating all her looks. "My look is not easy," she told Vogue. "I don’t just put on a shirt to do something."
In 2005, she performed with Elton John at the CMA Awards wearing embroidered bell bottoms, a look inspired by the "Tiny Dancer" singer. "Of course, I was trying to dress [to] look like Elton John," Parton told Vogue. "I know that I always like to wear a lot of makeup — more than probably I should wear. But I think more is more, and whoever made up that ‘less is more’ is full of it."
In 2014, she impressed the Glastonbury crowd in a white embellished outfit designed by longtime collaborator Steve Summers. "I love to work in pants … I’m up and down, so it’s hard for me to work in a glamorous dress," she explained. "So Steve designed this outfit that had all the glamour of a dress."
For her 2019 Grammys duet with goddaughter Miley Cyrus, Summers designed a gown featuring a sheer cape. "The dress took forever to make and it took many different people," he told Sounds Like Nashville.
Parton's fashion philosophy, characterized by her love for "flamboyance," "sparkle," and "shine," consistently set her apart, solidifying her status as a cultural and style icon.