7 Ways Dolly Changed Fashion Forever: ‘I Would Never Stoop So Low as to be Fashionable’
From bedazzled dresses to sky-high heels, Dolly Parton was always dressed to the nines. But here's what she really taught us about style
Key Takeaways
AI-generated summary reviewed by our editorial team.- Three quick takeaways: Dolly chose bold style: rhinestones, color, and signature glam.
- Be unapologetic: Prioritize comfort and confidence when you dress and perform.
- Dolly Parton chose to embrace her personal style and wear what made her comfortable.
Rhinestones, big hair and plenty of glitter were the name of the fashion game for the late Dolly Parton. But her style was about much more than sparkle. Throughout her decades-long career, Dolly followed her own instincts, wearing what made her feel beautiful, confident and unmistakably herself.
While some questioned her glamorous choices, Dolly never apologized for them. In fact, she had a philosophy about fashion that was decades ahead of its time: Wear what makes you feel good, forget the trends and never be afraid to stand out.
Here are seven ways Dolly changed fashion forever—in her own words.
1. She made “Too Much” her trademark
Dolly never believed in blending into the crowd. From rhinestone-covered stage costumes to colorful, body-hugging silhouettes, she embraced every bit of glamour she could find.
“I was always a little bit flamboyant, even before I could afford to buy clothes,” Dolly once shared. “When I got to where I could actually pick and choose [what I wore], I was drawn to color and tight clothes—anything just a little bit different than everybody else. I always [toed] the line, and sometimes I was willing to cross it in order to look like I wanted to look.”
2. Dolly proved real style is on the inside
Dolly’s look wasn’t dictated by fashion magazines or passing trends. She knew exactly what she liked—and she wore it with confidence.
“I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable,” she famously told Barbara Walters in 1977. “I just decided that I would do something that would at least get the attention.”
And once she had people looking, Dolly knew they would discover there was much more to her than her appearance.
“I’m very real where it counts and that’s inside,” she added.
3. She knew confidence was powerful
Pink, sparkle, high heels, fitted clothes and dramatic makeup were never things Dolly felt she needed to tone down. Her ultra-feminine style became part of her power—and part of her identity.
“I remember feeling really pretty,” Dolly said of her pink dress at the 1980 premiere of 9 to 5. “That was probably the first time that I ever felt fashionable.”
4. She found beauty in unique places
Dolly didn’t invent her glamorous persona out of thin air. She drew inspiration from a woman she remembered seeing in her hometown—the woman everyone else called “the town tramp.”
“She had bright red lipstick, long red fingernails. She had high-heeled shoes, little floating plastic goldfish in the heels of them, short skirts, low-cut tops, and I just thought she was beautiful,” Dolly recalled.
“When people would say, ‘She ain’t nothing but trash,’ I would always say, ‘Well, that’s what I’m gonna be when I grow up.’”
5. Dolly refused to follow the trends
Dolly didn’t care if something was considered fashionable. She cared whether it felt like her.
“I never cared what other people did, and I never cared what other people said about what I wore,” Dolly once shared. “It was more important that I be comfortable in my own clothes and in my own self. I couldn’t afford to be fashionable, and I wasn’t smart enough to follow those trends—nor did I have the time to do it. I was more interested in my music and in my work.”
Her advice still feels fresh today: You don’t have to chase fashion to have style.
6. She made sparkle part of her story
For Dolly, clothes were another way to tell a story. Whether she was stepping onto a stage or a red carpet, every detail—from the crystals to the towering hair—helped create the Dolly Parton people knew and loved.
Her look became so distinctive that she could walk into a room covered in sequins and still somehow make it feel completely natural.
7. She redefined true fashion as comfort
Perhaps Dolly’s greatest fashion lesson was that style isn’t about following someone else’s rules. It’s about feeling good enough in your own skin to walk confidently into the world.
“I really do think that fashion is not just what’s fashionable,” Parton once said. “True fashion is what you’re most comfortable in. If you’re going to be motivated and motivating, you need to feel comfortable in what you wear. If you think you look good, you’re going to do better. You’re going to be more apt to step forward and be assertive.”
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