Of course, when you think of Dolly style, you can’t help but think of her glitzy, fabulous stage fashions. “I really loved the mirrorball outfit that she wore to open the ACM Awards [in 2022],” says Summers. Turns out, everything Parton wore was totally customized. “Even if she wears a dress that’s off the rack, it doesn’t look like it by the time she gets it on,” says Summers. “There’s a customization that happens no matter what she’s wearing.”
Summers adds that he and Parton’s costuming team made approximately 300 custom outfits a year for the star. “There is an outfit in production every single day,” says Summers. “If she’s doing personal appearances, 10 outfits in a day is not unusual.”
Parton’s fashion team certainly had it down to a science. Over three decades, Summers says he and Parton grew to know which garments will work—and which won’t. “She’s been very specific throughout her entire career. She wears what she likes, and what she feels comfortable in,” says Summers. “The great thing about working with Dolly is she doesn’t follow fashion trends at all; Her style hasn’t changed that much over the years.”
Dolly Parton and Steve SummersPhoto: Courtesy of Steve Summers
Her signature formula was straightforward. “She’s always cinched at the waist, and they’re often monochromatic,” says Summers. “She’s a very petite woman, so it’s easy to overwhelm her—it’s easy for the clothes to wear her, and I don’t like that.” To counter this, he and Parton often looked for dresses or jumpsuits that have an hourglass shape, with a great color or texture thrown in for good measure. “She’s known as a fashion icon, but the clothes are relatively simple,” says Summers. “They’re very intricate in detail, though.”
Another signature element of Dolly’s enduring look? Sky-high stilettos, of course. Parton almost exclusively wore 140-mm heels, and if you haven’t guessed it, those skyscraper shoes were always custom, too. “The pitch on the shoe is very high, so we have the lasts custom-made for comfort,” says Summers. “We design all of the shoes in-house: She has a dear friend who is a shoe manufacturer, and we have a guy here in Nashville, too.” Clearly the shoes were comfy: At 80, Parton hadn’t given up her love of a killer heel just yet.
At the ACM Awards in 2022Photo: Getty Images
