Dolly Parton’s Style

Shortly after we lost this icon of American culture, I received an inquiry from a reader who wanted to know what Dolly’s style essences were. In some sense, it really doesn’t matter. That’s because Dolly Parton created an entirely new version of herself, Dolly 2.0.

From all her professional photos we see the ultra glam, curvaceous woman. But the more typical exaggerated curves and quietly alluring and seductive personality of a Romantic type didn’t quite describe her completely. For starters, Dolly was petite, just five feet tall. Now, a Romantic style type can be petite. Her skin did have the cellular texture that can suggest Romantic. And, yes, she definitely had curves.

But the on-stage style that she embraced emphasized glitter and glam. Those were more Dramatic than Romantic elements. She never met a sequin or rhinestone she didn’t love. What I often explain to clients is that Romantic style is somewhat subdued and subtle, it leaves something to the imagination. Dolly left next to nothing to the imagination, and she did that intentionally. Her style was edgier. She took everything she had, exaggerated it, and then owned it, big time. So let’s start with the “edgy”.

Edginess can be the domain of two different essences: Dramatic and High Spirited. Dramatic types are usually – not always but often – tall and have a strong commanding presence. She certainly had a commanding presence. But her energy was more that of a sassy playfulness. She had a kind of “wink-wink” quality that let you in on the joke. Particularly based on her height, it felt more like a High Spirited energy. Another physical High Spirited feature was the slightly crooked, asymmetrical smile that appeared when she spoke.

Regarding energy, kinetic energy is a High Spirited feature. Unless she was seated for a more serious interview Dolly was always in motion, especially on stage. But her movements weren’t smooth and sultry. They were actually kind of jerky and playful. (The jerky motion may have been a result of the sky high heels she wore!) There was a bit of mischief about her. She was known to be a prankster on late night talk show. You get a hint of that in her earliest photos.

So, if you combine her height, her movements, and her wild sense of humor – especially her self deprecating humor – you have the formula for a High Spirited style type. It was still sexy and sassy style but not one suggesting the sultry allure of a Romantic nor the slightly aloof, commanding one of Dramatic.

And then, there were unmistakable details in her face that pointed to a large amount of Youthful. Little rounded puffs underneath the lower eye lids are a feature typical in a Youthful face. Also, her deep dimples were a dead giveaway for Youthful in her essence blend. In terms of her coloring, Dolly was primarily a Spring color type. I’ve observed that those whose coloring is primarily Spring tend to have a sunny outlook on life. There just seems to be a correlation between spring coloring and the upbeat, optimistic qualities of those with a lot of the Youthful style essence.

But in this teenage photo, notice the breadth of her forehead, the straight, not rounded, side planes of her face, and the angle at her jaw. Those are Natural features. Also, I believe she also had something of an inverted triangle body shape – her shoulders were slightly broader than her hips. That’s often an athletic body, and athletic bodies tend toward Natural.

This makes sense, as the personality of a Natural type combines unpretentiousness with self-possession. That certainly described Dolly. Natural is also a “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” personality. It’s what we would expect of someone with hardly a trace of personal or emotional artifice. She also was nobody’s fool. She was an extremely savvy businesswoman. Unlike the glamorous persona she created, at her core she was simply a very down to earth country girl. This is why people felt so comfortable around her and trusting of her.

Now, adding to the mix, there’s one very telling photograph of her from her youth that evokes a sense of hope and gentleness. You get the feeling that she saw herself as a recent plant on mother Earth with a story to tell and a job to do. Her gentle narrow, blue, gray eyes, and – before the heavy eye makeup made them appear large and open – slightly heavier lids, suggested a touch of Angelic.

Relatedly, the late film critic Roger Ebert, tells a wonderful story about meeting her. “In Dallas, for the premier of “9 to 5”, I had an uncanny experience, and on the plane home to Chicago I confessed it to Siskel [Gene Siskel, the other half of the film criticism duo.] I had been granted a private half hour with Dolly Parton, and as we spoke I was filled with a strange ethereal grace. This was not spiritual, nor was it sexual. It was healing and comforting. Gene listened and said, “Roger, I felt the exact same thing during my interview with her.” We looked at each other. What did this mean? Neither one of us ever felt that feeling again. From time to time we would refer to it in wonder.” – Roger Ebert in his film Life Itself.

@dollyparton