In Dolly We Trust

We lost a legend. Dolly Parton was about as close to an angel on earth as I can imagine; for all intents and purposes, she was. Philanthropist, musician, movie star, style icon, cultural juggernaut. There wasn’t much that Dolly didn’t do in her career. And most importantly, she did it all with love and kindness. It can sound corny, but she was just that wonderful. She was human sunshine. I wanted to take a moment and look back on some of my favorite Dolly looks today. They certainly don’t encompass all Dolly did with style, but I feel they give a nice picture

This was Dolly posed next to Sylvester Stallone at the 1984 premiere of their movie Rhinestone. This look brings together a lot of what I loved about Dolly’s style: it’s fun. She knew how to have a good time and how to make everyone else join in on the fun.

Dolly wore this beaded ensemble while attending the 1988 People’s Choice Awards. While she was known for embracing “tacky”, Parton never shied away from glamour. She’s the only person I know who could make you look at an outfit like this and think, “She really toned it down!”

Dolly wore this to the 1989 New York premiere of Steel Magnolias. I love this look so much because it’s what I think of when I think “movie star”. I was someone decked in sparkle. It’s like she’s wearing stardust. It’s over the top in all the right ways.

When Dolly performed at the 2023 Thanksgiving football game, she wore an outfit that embodies another aspect of her style that I love: camp! The woman was and always will be an honorary drag queen. Anyone who comes out in a custom, crystaled homage to the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders’ uniform has, at one point or another, been to a drag show.

Lastly, we’ve got Dolly at LAX in 1993. At the end of the day, Dolly was a girl from Locust Ridge, Tennessee. And she looked just as good in a pair of jeans and a white top as she did in any of her bedazzled getups.

We love you, Dolly!