Everyone’s Dressing Like Dolly Parton This Summer

There’s no denying this summer is looking a little bit country. Beyoncé is on tour for Cowboy Carter, spurring fans from sea to shining sea to put on their “Texas Hold ‘Em” best. Cowboy boots are the unexpected going-out shoe for warmer weather, so much so that the boot-to-short employment index is active meme fodder. (The less leg showing between your shorts and boots, the more likely you are to have “creative director” in your Instagram bio.) And Western-inspired hats have transcended the rodeo—just check out this Instagram from Doechii’s stylist for proof.

If the coquette cowgirl aesthetic dominated 2024, this year’s take on country is a bit more fun and a whole lot more glamorous. Rhinestone butterflies are adorning baby tees; shorter hemlines are dominating headlines; and gingham sets are selling out by the dozen. But doesn’t this more-is-more Western vibe remind you of someone? The Backwoods Barbie, perhaps? The Smoky Mountain Songbird? The Queen of Country? That’s right; everyone is dressing like Dolly Parton—again.

The musical icon has inspired generations with her sartorial maximalism and effervescent charm, and these two qualities go hand in hand, according to her longtime creative director and stylist, Steven Summers. “Dolly is incredibly humble, so if you were to ask her, she would go, ‘Well, I don’t know why anybody [would want to dress like me],” says Summers, who’s been working with the singer in some capacity since 1991 when he was first hired as a Dollywood performer. “But the reality of the situation is that she is an icon. She’s an absolute icon, and people are going to be mimicking her long after all of us are gone.”

It does seem our current moment is more Dolly-coded than ever. The 2025 runways foretold a summer of checks and ginghams—two of the “9 to 5” songwriter’s signatures—as seen at Tommy Hilfiger, Acne Studios, and Ralph Lauren in February. Frisky fringe, too, was all over fashion month, out in force in Milan at Bottega Veneta (peep the head-to-toe tassel dress) and Diesel (where a fringe neckline stole the show). It’s classic Parton, especially in embellished or rhinestone-covered form, to add a little extra Americana to your look. And that’s not to mention the explosion of ruffles this season, as led by Chloé—a ’70s-era Dolly signature if we ever saw one.

Even celebrities are taking notes from the fashion icon. Bella Hadid has a rodeo boyfriend and a wardrobe to match that channels plenty of Dolly-inspired denim-on-denim flair. She also released a viral gingham-and-ruffles summer collection with Frankies Bikinis, which has been spotted on other It Girls, including Iris Law and Devon Lee Carlson. Sabrina Carpenter’s latest video for “Manchild” features a Dolly-esque bouffant, denim short shorts paired with a tied button-up, and an aqua bra top accented with glittering fringe. After just one taste of the ubiquitous butter yellow trend, or a cursory glance at summer festival street style, you’ll be convinced that Dollycore is truly everywhere.

“It’s hard to explain, but literally, she is her greatest accessory,” says Summers about Parton’s perennial fashion appeal. It’s fitting that her most recent fashion project is a collaboration with Texas-based jewelry brand and ‘Bama rush mainstay, Kendra Scott. Designed around Dolly’s 1974 hit “I Will Always Love You,” the collection includes heart lockets, cameo butterfly charms, and a statement necklace that vaguely looks like it’s made from the singer’s extra-long pink press-ons. “Everybody in jewelry right now is layering,” Summers notes about the assortment. “There’s room to go from conservative all the way to full-blown diva.”

This customization element is secondary, though, to the real heart of Parton’s fashion appeal. It’s not just the glitter and pizazz—or the form-fitting silhouettes, which her stylist cites as “non-negotiable”—that have won her millions of fans the world over. Her authenticity as a country bombshell with mountain roots is what sets her apart: “As with everything, the foundation for the collection was to start with a song,” Summers explains.

“The thing about Dolly’s style is it’s always true to Dolly. Dolly never, ever tries to do something else, or to wear someone else, or to please someone else. She’s trying to make sure that she feels like herself in whatever she wears,” he adds. “She would give the same advice to anybody who was listening: Look in the mirror, and if you don’t like what you see, then go ahead and change. You can change your outfit, you can change your jewelry, you can change all of those things, but you have be true to you.”

Read the original article on InStyle