Dolly Parton behind the seams My life in rhinestones

Country music star Parton (Dolly Parton, Songteller) throws open her closet doors to reveal the show-stopping outfits that have defined her five-plus decades in the limelight. Starting in childhood, Parton used style to "reflect my innermost self" and build confidence--"I can't do what I'm supposed to do as a performer if I don't feel comfortable in my own skin," she informed music industry executives who tried to streamline her larger-than-life fashion into a sleek "1960s pop look." She always favored big hair, tight and low-cut clothes, and rhinestones ("once I could afford them"), even when they went against the day's trends. Featured here are several of Parton's scrap-made "coats of many colors" inspired by her 1971 single of the same name, a short off-the-rack wedding dress from her 1966 wedding to Carl Dean, and an exquisite white beaded gown worn to the 2006 Kennedy Center Honors. Enriched with insights from the star's designers, hairdressers, and makeup artists (as well her niece, Rebecca Seaver, who curated the collection), this is both a lush visual feast and a testament to the originality and self-possession that made Parton a force to be reckoned with: an entertainer who refused to accede to trends, was firmly in control of her own sexuality, and expanded the stylistic possibilities available to female performers. Fashion lovers and country fans alike will be enchanted. Photos. (Oct.)

This excellent audiobook celebrating Parton's (Dolly Parton, Songteller) iconic and timeless style could be summed up by Shakespeare's immortal words "To thine own self, be true." The glittering audio allows listeners a glimpse of Parton's life by way of her remarkable closet as she describes her early style, makeup, fashion, wigs, and more. The book is presented as a Q&A, with Parton's niece and archivist Rebecca Seaver as interviewer. Pop culture writer Holly George-Warren (Janis: Her Life and Music) introduces each chapter and the many contributors. Interspersed throughout the interviews with Parton are song clips and conversations with designers and stylists who helped create her unique and unforgettable vision. From the Country Music Awards and The Porter Wagoner Show to album art, Studio 54, and even the cover of Playboy in October 1978, each outfit has a story to tell. Parton's style has evolved over the years but has always been flashy, busty, distinctive, and glitzy, just like the legend herself. VERDICT Part memoir, part fashion manifesto, part archive, this engaging audio bursts with humor, confidence, and candor. The production deserves all the rhinestone stars it will earn.--Erin Cataldi

The sparkly story of country music's most recognizable woman told through an archive of outfits. Featuring fringe, vibrant color, and rhinestones, Parton's fashion sense has always contributed to her immense popularity. In this effervescent, full-color volume, Parton, along with veteran music and pop-culture writer George-Warren and Seaver, the director of archive services for the author, recounts the vivid tales behind the clothes. Blocks of text run alongside photographs as Parton looks back on her poor childhood, when she was fascinated with clothing and creating makeup from foraged household items. Inspired by Mae West, she writes about many of her pivotal career moments, including her move to Nashville in 1964 to become a country musician, despite warnings to tone down her image. "From early on, I loved the big hair and makeup," she writes, "the long nails, the high heels, the flashy clothes, and--as soon as I could afford them--the rhinestones!" Passion is the common element throughout this graciously and generously illuminated book, commemorating her celebrity, zest for sparkling fashion, and identity as a funny, outspoken, effortlessly charming personality. A woman who wins over audiences with bubbly giggles, candid opinions, and a bedazzled, often risk-taking wardrobe, Parton moves with ease through the design innovations that have marked her decadeslong career as a music and fashion trailblazer. From album cover shots to photos from TV and movie appearances and award ceremonies, Parton's personal style shines brightly as she shares the intricate details behind the glittered fringe, coiffured wigs, rhinestone stilettos, and glamorous designer collaborations that have made her wardrobe unique. She also writes frankly about how the weight of those outfits could be overwhelming, often making it a challenge to perform on stage. From beneath its splashy hot-pink cover emerges an unforgettable personal and professional history of a beloved country music performer whose outfits "reflect my innermost self, my own personal truth." A must-have treasury for diehard Dolly fans and armchair fashionistas. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Introduction Clothes are like songs. Just as hearing certain music brings back particular memories, so it is with certain outfits. I'm so fortunate that, from the beginning of my career, I've had close friends and relatives who have taken good care of the clothing that is important to me. From personal items like the little bolero vest I wore while performing as a child and my simple wedding dress to such gorgeous costumes as the red dress that turned me into Miss Mona in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas to everything I've ever worn onstage, each of these garments signifies something important--a place in my life, a moment in my career, a time when I felt like me. I treasure them all. Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones tells the stories behind some of my favorite outfits, both on and off the stage. It also paints a picture of the evolution of my own personal style that I first developed growing up in the backwoods of East Tennessee. I always loved makeup. I wanted to be pretty. Back then, any woman who wore makeup in the mountains was considered trashy. But I didn't care. When I started buying my own makeup, I also started dressing according to how I felt, which meant wearing tight, low-cut outfits that my mama made. I remember feeling powerful enough to go up against Daddy or Grandpa to say, "Now, that's not that tight. It ain't cut that low. It ain't that much." And they'd say, "Yes, it is!" But I'd be willing to get my ass whupped for it. I would sacrifice for how I wanted to look. The same thing happened when I moved to Nashville in 1964 to become a country star. Just like I had to persist to get my songs heard and ignite my recording career, I had to resist a lot of "advice" telling me to tone down my look or choose a different type of wardrobe. In these pages, you'll learn I never listened to any of that. From early on, I loved the big hair and makeup, the long nails, the high heels, the flashy clothes, and--as soon as I could afford them--the rhinestones! But believe it or not, I had to fight for that look! In this book you'll see how, as a young artist, my self-confidence was enhanced by developing my own Dolly style and then sticking to it. I didn't care about trends. Instead, I worked hard to look the way I pictured myself. Although my style has evolved as the years have gone by, I've stuck to the motto "To thine own self be true" over the past six decades--and still do. Much as the fictional characters that populate my songs uncover essential truths about me and the people I've known, my clothes and makeup also reveal the real me. Maybe they're both "made up," but they reflect my innermost self, my own personal truth. I've had lots of help telling the story you're about to read. You'll hear from some of my designers, tailors, hairdressers, makeup artists, and photographers, and from my longtime creative director, Steve Summers, and his team, all of whom have been essential in transforming my ideas into reality. Early on, my personal assistant and friend, Judy Ogle, began assembling my clothing archive. She did a great job of saving and looking after all my things. Without her, so many of the pictures, so many of the clothes wouldn't be here. Before she retired, she archived everything she could--that was her mission and her calling. My niece Rebecca Seaver, who learned from Judy, has been an integral part of my career for years and has curated the special collection you're about to see, selecting these pieces from among thousands of garments that she and her crew care for. Nobody in this world is better suited to working in my archive. She is perfect because she has been there from the very, very beginning, and she also loves clothes. She grew up with me. Everything I did she was part of, and she knows every dress I ever wore-- how it looked, how it felt, how it smelled. No one else could have put together the ideas for this book better than Rebecca. She has selected items spanning six-plus decades--from complete outfits to accessories, shoes, and wigs--to fill these pages. I hope that as you gaze upon my life in clothing, it will inspire you to develop, and celebrate, your own sense of style. I value my freedom to look like and be my own true self more than anything else, and I hope this book will also give you the confidence to look like and be the person you want to be. Whoever you are, be that ! And enjoy your journey behind the seams. Excerpted from Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones by Dolly Parton All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.