Hello, Dolly: V Explores Dolly Parton’s Most Iconic Looks From Her Archive

Dolly Parton stormed Nashville in 1964 and the world has never been the same. Back in 2015, country’s most glamorous icon gave V a special look at her personal archive for the very first time

  • Text by the Editors of V

Fifty years after she first came to Nashville from the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, Dolly Parton celebrated her legacy in typically heartfelt style. This past December, Parton’s Dollywood Foundation joined forces with Chandelier Creative for a rare exhibition of select costumes that Parton wore throughout her colorful career. After sending her most emblematic ensembles to New York, Parton and friends transformed an industrial Chelsea space into a glittering wonderland, and hosted a fundraiser to benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Tag inside of dress by Lucy Adams, 1976
Dripping pearls gown worn on ABC’s Dolly, singing “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind,” 1987. Dress by Tony Chase

Along with an exhibition of the clothing, the evening featured a silent auction, video clips from Dolly’s greatest onstage moments, and performances by Rufus Wainwright, Jake Shears, and surprise guest Kylie Minogue. As part of the auction, photographer Dan Forbes was given unprecedented access to the country icon’s archive to shoot her clothing and accessories, shown here. It might, in Parton’s famous words, cost “a lot of money to look this cheap,” but if the money raised for the Library – Parton’s nonprofit devoted to providing books for underprivileged Tennessee children – is any indication, the legend’s splurges were well worth it.

Patriotic suit worn on the cover of the album ‘For God and Country,’ 2003, in national TV and print promotion, and in the music video for “Welcome Home,” Suit by Robert Behar
Shoes (hand-studded) by Di Fabrizio
Pink sequin dress worn on Parton’s Australian tour with Kenny Rogers, 1984-85.
Leopard dress worn on the TV variety series, Dolly! while singing “Twelfth of Never,” 1976. Dress by Lucy Adams

This story appears inside the pages of V93 Spring Preview 2015!

Photography Dan Forbes

Digital Technician Todd Barndollar

Prop Stylist Lisa Gwilliam (JED Root)

Photo Assistant Eric Lin

Location Root Studios

Special Thanks Michael Scanlon, Lauren Prince, Aaron Kurlander

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