In the world of fashion, true icons are defined not by fleeting trends, but by an unwavering, uncompromising signature look. For over six decades, Dolly Parton who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80 did not just wear clothes; she constructed a cultural monument out of rhinestones, high heels, and towering blonde wigs.

Parton’s aesthetic was a masterclass in high-low juxtaposition, blending her Tennessee mountain roots with an unbridled celebration of over-the-top feminine glamour. She christened this distinct look “Backwoods Barbie,” a self-anointed title and album name that proudly embraced the artificial, the flashy, and the fabulous.

Her wardrobe was built on a foundation of strict fashion rules that she adhered to with joyful defiance, featuring structural silhouettes like shoulder pads, plunging necklines, cinched waists, and delicate lace. Her details were legendary: long acrylic nails (which she famously used as rhythm instruments for her hit 9 to 5), heapings of glitter, fringe, and classic country motifs given a high-octane Hollywood upgrade, all paired with bleached voluminous wigs, a full face of makeup, and sky-high heels that elevated her 5-foot stature.

“I want to look a little bit, you know, trashy,” Parton remarked last year with her signature tongue-in-cheek charm. “I don’t mean it in a bad way. I just like that kind of almost artificial look. I like the overdone.”

Parton’s vision was locked in early. Inspired by the glamorous women of the Grand Ole Opry like Jean Shepard and the risqué pages of Frederick’s of Hollywood catalogs, she knew exactly how she wanted to present herself when she moved to Nashville in 1964. When early record label executives attempted to "flatten" her hair and dress her in streamlined sixties pop-star attire, Parton revolted. “I hated everything about it. I felt naked,” she recalled in her 2023 book, Behind the Seams.

That conviction birthed some of the most memorable style moments in entertainment history. She collaborated with legendary designers like Bob Mackie, who created a breathtaking, wing-like "Butterfly" gown worn for her 1979 TV special Dolly & Carol in Nashville. Her stage and red carpet rotation ranged from hot-pink jumpsuits and icy blue off-shoulder gowns to pearl-encrusted cropped jackets and vibrant yellow skirt suits. Styled by her longtime collaborator Steve Summers, Parton wore roughly *300 custom outfits a year*, proving that for Dolly, fashion was an active, non-stop performance art.

Parton’s unmistakable influence extends far beyond her own closet. Modern pop royalty from her goddaughter Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé (who channeled her for her own spin on Jolene) to Sabrina Carpenter have regularly leaned into the unapologetic femininity and butter-yellow curls that Parton popularized. Even her fans turned her style into a movement, with British photographer Alice Hawkins spending a decade capturing fans living out their "Dolly-fied" dreams in the 2022 book Dear Dolly. In perhaps the ultimate testament to her approachable icon status, Parton once secretly entered a Dolly lookalike contest at a West Hollywood gay bar and lost. “I say it’s a good thing I was a girl or I’d be a drag queen,” she joked.

While Parton produced an outfit a day and championed legendary custom designs, the true beating heart of her fashion legacy wasn't just the sequins or the spandex it was radical authenticity. As she famously put it: “I’m gonna be me, ‘cause I know who I am and you don’t.”