NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Dolly Parton’s fashion has helped her stand out among the stars for decades.
Beginning Oct. 31, her style will be on display at Lipscomb University in a new student-developed exhibit, which received Parton’s blessing.
The exhibition was designed by students in coordination with the release of Parton’s new book, “Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, which book focuses on the designers who have helped the star craft her signature looks over the years.
“I had no idea that it would be this big,” Department of Fashion and Design Chair Charlotte Poling said. “I had no idea that it would be this impactful.”
42 students across more than 12 majors have worked since the spring to bring the exhibition to life.
Originally, the department wanted to have a few of Parton’s dresses on display and share the stories of the people who designed them. They never imagined Dolly’s team would instead tell them they had a book coming out, share a copy with the school, and let them run with the exhibit.
“She stands on a huge platform for education and literacy, so I mean, this is literally education and literacy,” Poling said. “We are standing inside of a library. The synergy is just too organic.”
Of the students, Junior Sean Worth worked on all the graphic design for the exhibit.
“I wouldn’t think to put a student on a job this big, you know, but they did,” Worth said.
As student art director for “Dolly Parton and the Makers,” Worth is not only designing what’s on the exhibit walls but also creating a timeline of Dolly’s fashion through the years, a t-shirt with a photo exclusive to the book, and – what might be his proudest moment – a billboard in Nashville.
“That really showed the gravity of this event and what we were doing because when you’re working with everything on one computer, it’s just a file so when you actually see things come together it’s just been cooler than I can imagine,” Worth said.
Last Friday, an invite-only ribbon-cutting ceremony took place with Dolly in attendance.
When asked why her fashion has been so important to her she said, “I do think there is so much to be said about being comfortable in your own clothes, in your own skin.” Parton said. “I just think it’s important that people wear what they’re comfortable in, and that’s what I’ve done my whole life.”
Lipscomb University expects an estimated 6,000 people to attend the exhibit over its six-week run through Dec. 9.
Tickets are still available online here.
Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones debuted on the New York Times Best Selling list over the weekend.
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