Dolly Parton during the "Steel Magnolias" Benefit Premiere for the American Diabetes Association in Century City, California. She wore an ice-blue, rhinestone-encrusted gown designed by Tony Chase.Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesWhile Dolly Parton’s chart-topping songs and philanthropy will endure, she’ll also be remembered and treasured for outfits that became her signature. Parton died on August 25, 2026 at age 80 following a brief bout with cancer.Dolly Parton Left Behind A Distinct Visual LegacyDolly Parton attends "Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs in Symphony" world premiere at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on March 20, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. Her spidery look was a shimmering silver dress scattered with sequins.Getty ImagesParton understood the power of creating a distinct image as a business strategy, which was integral to songs such as “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You.” It endeared her to millions. As a New York Times 2019 headline noted: “Is There Anything We Can All Agree On? Yes: Dolly Parton.”Dolly Parton attending the 1988 People’s Choice Awards. Her all-white beaded and fringed gown was complete with a plush white fur wrap and pearl-drop earrings.Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images“Dolly leaned into maximalism as a form of self-expression and, honestly, as a form of resistance,” said Michele Y. Smith, chief executive officer of Seattle-based Museum of Pop Culture. “The rhinestones, the big hair, the theatrical silhouettes were just Dolly being exactly herself, loudly and without apology.”Dolly Parton attends the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards at The Ford Center at The Star on May 11, 2023. Her long-sleeved pewter-toned jumpsuit featured sparkling beadwork and fringe, a signature look for the star.FilmMagicGrowing up in rural poverty in Sevierville, Tennessee, Parton would see a local woman dressed in high heels, revealing skirts and tops, and bold makeup—what other locals called “trash” and the “town tramp.” Parton relays the anecdote in her 2023 style memoir, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones. Parton appreciated the look, telling the Guardian in October 2023, “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.’”Album cover for "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton, released in 1977. The casual country look was a departure from Parton's usual glam. She wears denim jeans and a red shirt tied at the waist.Getty ImagesParton was taken with country performers’ big hair and their showy costumes when she arrived in Nashville in 1964. But the burgeoning star wanted to amp the look with brighter colors, even bigger hair, hundreds of rhinestones and a dash of sass.Dolly Parton attends the CMT Giants event honoring Reba McEntire. Her black leather outfit referenced the rock scene and was smartly contrasted with a low-cut white blouse.WireImageWhat Dolly Parton Knew In Spades: Style Is A LanguageWhile some critics dissed Parton’s look as cheap, gaudy, or just over-the-top, Parton played along with self-deprecating humor, which only endeared her to fans more. Among her more famous lines: “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.”Album cover for "Jolene" by Dolly Parton, which was released in 1974. The blue-and-white striped jumpsuit had puffed upper sleeves and long cuffs, also striped.Getty Images“What Dolly figured out before almost anyone else in her industry is that style is a language,” said Smith. “She used it to say the same thing every single time she walked on a stage. I am here, I am proud of who I am, and I am not shrinking for anyone.”Dolly Parton poses for a portrait session dressed as a Playboy bunny, 1978, in Los Angeles, California.Getty ImagesShe famously appeared on the October 1978 cover of Playboy magazine at 32 years old —the first country music artist to do so. She wore a version of the classic black Playboy bunny bodysuit complete with pink heels, a white bowtie studded with rhinestones and bunny ears.The Playboy cover was “one of the most joyful and confident fashion moments I can think of in American culture,” Smith said. “She was just having fun on her own terms.”Dolly Parton performs on stage at ACL Live during Blockchain Creative Labs’ Dollyverse event at SXSW during the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals. Her rose-hued denim outfit was covered in fringe, studs, and rhinestones.Getty Images for SXSWDolly Parton’s Wardrobe DesignersFellow Tennessean Steve Summers, who performed at Dollywood, designed wardrobe ensembles for Parton in his role as her creative director. In terms of Parton’s look, “everything matters,” he told People magazine in 2022. That included which colors she needed to avoid, how long it would take to get dressed, and whether the fabric would wrinkle too easily.Dolly Parton poses for a studio portrait in Lake Tahoe, California, on December 31, 1989. (Photo by Ron Davis/Getty Images)Getty ImagesLegendary costume designer Bob Mackie designed a standout creation for Parton: the butterfly gown, donned during her 1979 TV special, Dolly & Carol in Nashville, co-starring comedian Carol Burnett. The gown was modeled after Parton’s favorite image, the butterfly. The black creation, accented in silver and gold, was covered in hand-stitched beadwork, rhinestones and sequins. The translucent long sleeves spread dramatically wide when she raised her arms, resembling butterfly wings. Parton, enamored with the look, wore it for concerts years afterward.Dolly Parton during a press conference to launch her new album, Rockstar, at the Four Seasons Hotel in London, 2023.PA Images via Getty ImagesIn later years, Parton got funky with some outfits, notably for the 2023 press conference for her album, Rockstar. The then-77-year-old star wore knee-high stiletto silver boots and a pink-and-white skirt created from fringe.