EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
DOLLY PARTON
AS SHE SHARES HER FASHION SECRETS
ON STYLE ICONS, BEING IMITATED AND HER LIFE IN RHINESTONES
‘I’m not the kind of person that would spend thousands of dollars on one outfit’
Goddaughter Miley Cyrus joins Dolly at the Grammy Awards in 2010 – more than 50 years after the star made her first performance, appearing on a local variety show at the age of ten
Few women in this world rock rhinestones and glitter like Dolly Parton. With her teased hairdos and tight, sequinned clothes, the Grammy-winning country singer and songwriter has created an image that is all her own– and now she has put pen to paper to share the secrets behind her signature look.
Speaking exclusively to HELLO! ahead of the release of her book Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones,, Dolly tells us all about her style influences – and what she makes of those who imitate her.
“I think: ‘Are you crazy? Are you sure you wanna wear that?’” says the 77-year-old multi-award-winning singer. “Actually, I’m always complimented when people say they’re doing this or that like me, because I’ve never – taking nothing away from any of the designers or the great people who work with me – thought of myself as a fashion horse or a fashion icon. I make jokes of that. “I just wear what I’m comfortable in and I feel prettier and better in some things than others, but if somebody wants to wear something I’m wearing, well I think that’s a great compliment. “And if somebody wants to write a song similar to something I’ve written, I think that’s a great compliment. If people imitate you, they say it’s a form of flattery.” While she is rarely seen not wearing a pair of highheeled shoes, the most expensive items in Dolly’s wardrobe are her show clothes, which include items by her long-time stylist Steve Summers and designer Bob Mackie.