The Architect Behind Dolly's Iconic Look: Inside Three Decades of Custom Style

Dolly Parton's legacy extends far beyond her contributions to music and philanthropy—she has cemented her place as a genuine fashion icon. Much of this sartorial reputation owes itself to Steve Summers, her longtime stylist and creative director who has been collaborating with Parton for more than three decades to craft her memorable wardrobe across performances, films, and public appearances.

Summers described the creative process as uniquely expansive. "Designing for Dolly is great, because there are so many [Dollys]," Summers told Vogue in 2023. "I've got the philanthropist, the singer, the actress, the theme park owner. The canvas is always very broad."

When discussing Parton's most memorable stage moments, Summers highlighted a particularly striking creation. "I really loved the mirrorball outfit that she wore to open the ACM Awards [in 2022]," says Summers. Every piece Parton wears is customized, he explains, even garments that start off the rack. "Even if she wears a dress that's off the rack, it doesn't look like it by the time she gets it on," says Summers. "There's a customization that happens no matter what she's wearing."

About 300 custom outfits a year are made for the star by Summers and Parton's costuming team. "There is an outfit in production every single day," says Summers. "If she's doing personal appearances, 10 outfits in a day is not unusual."

Summers says that across three decades, he and Parton have come to know which garments will work — and which won't. "She's been very specific throughout her entire career. She wears what she likes, and what she feels comfortable in," says Summers. "The great thing about working with Dolly is she doesn't follow fashion trends at all; her style hasn't changed that much over the years."

Parton's approach to dressing relies on a few established principles. "She's always cinched at the waist, and they're often monochromatic," says Summers. "She's a very petite woman, so it's easy to overwhelm her — it's easy for the clothes to wear her, and I don't like that." To counter this, he and Parton often look for dresses or jumpsuits with an hourglass shape, paired with a great color or texture. "She's known as a fashion icon, but the clothes are relatively simple," says Summers. "They're very intricate in detail, though."

Another signature element of Parton's look is her footwear — she almost exclusively wears 140-millimeter heels, always custom-made. "The pitch on the shoe is very high, so we have the lasts custom-made for comfort," says Summers. "We design all of the shoes in-house: She has a dear friend who is a shoe manufacturer, and we have a guy here in Nashville, too." At 80, Parton hadn't given up her love of a killer heel.

According to Summers, the team stores every one of Parton's looks in a warehouse archive, with each garment she's ever worn captured in photos and logged, noting the occasion she wore it and the designer behind it. "It's all computerized by color, genre, or style," says Summers. "We have the majority of Dolly's garments that she's worn since 1964." When asked if he ever pulls from that archive to bring back a past look, Summers explains that he and Parton would rather move forward. "We're not trying to [re-invent] the wheel — we're just trying to keep it rolling," he said. AM