Dolly Parton’s ‘lovely soul’ celebrated by fashion designer Bob Mackie
The “Sultan of Sequins” remembered the “Backwoods Barbie” with a touching tribute Tuesday.
Costume designer Bob Mackie shared his memories of Dolly Parton on social media following news of the country legend’s death at age 80, reflecting on the decades he spent crafting sparkling stage looks for the star.
“Dolly was a lovely soul and spirit who was fair to everyone,” he wrote on Instagram. “She was a joy and pleasure to dress.”
Mackie, 86, was a go-to of Parton’s from early in her career, dreaming up embellished ensembles that helped shape her larger-than-life stage persona.
Among his most memorable creations for the singer: the winged butterfly gown she wore for the 1979 TV special “Dolly & Carol in Nashville” alongside Mackie’s longtime muse Carol Burnett.
That look — and the scarlet lace mermaid-hem dress he made her for the same program — are housed in the Dolly Archive, a 50,000-square-foot vault of rhinestoned jumpsuits and high-heeled cowboy boots.
Many of the pieces are on display at Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum in Nashville and at Dollywood’s Dolly Parton Experience in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Butterflies held special meaning for Parton, who claimed the delicate creature as her personal emblem.
“Butterflies don’t sting, they don’t bite, and they are so beautiful,” she told W in October 2021. “I just kind of related to them with my own personality. I claimed them as my little symbol.”
Oprah Winfrey likewise paid tribute to Parton with a backstage snap from filming the television special “Dolly” in 1987. Winfrey wore a beaded black-and-gold Mackie gown while Parton glittered in champagne.
“One of my fondest memories with @dollyparton: Having a hoot and a holler while wearing Bob Mackie gowns on her show Dolly,” the television icon wrote.
“This girl from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee dreamed a life and then lived a life bigger than she could have ever imagined, giving so generously to others in ways we saw and ways we didn’t,” she continued. “No one like her. She brought the light, and we are all better because she was here. God bless you, Dolly—you earned your wings.”
Parton also dazzled opposite Cher — another star in Mackie’s inner circle — in the “If I Could Turn Back Time” singer’s ABC special, with the pair sporting yin-and-yang bedazzled gowns.
Parton never apologized for the flash, once telling Vogue that “more is more, and whoever made up ‘less is more’ is full of it.”
That maximalist mantra clearly rubbed off on her goddaughter Miley Cyrus, who is likewise a devote fan of Mackie’s sequin-spangled designs.
