Dolly Parton's fashion celebrated in new Nashville exhibit

Zoom in: Any time she steps on stage, odds are she's covered in rhinestones. "I love to shine," she said Friday at Lipscomb.

• "It makes me feel lighter and more exciting and excitable."

The big picture: Few artists in music history have harnessed the power of their image the way Parton has. Throughout her career, Parton used her fashion like a flare, enticing audiences and drawing them in before unleashing one classic song after another.

• This exhibit gives her fashions center stage, and shines a light on the painstaking artistry that has gone into every stitch.

State of play: Parton told the audience at the Friday ribbon-cutting that the 25 outfits on display represent "a lot of creativity from a lot of people."

• Lipscomb president Candice McQueen said 42 students had helped to create the exhibit.

The intrigue: Parton's flamboyant fashions are almost as universally beloved as she is. But she told the crowd that she encountered some naysayers along the way. She remembered legendary guitarist and music executive Chet Atkins approaching her with an early career warning.

• "'Dolly, you need to calm it down because you look a little trashy,'" she remembered him saying. "'Nobody's gonna take you serious as a songwriter or a singer.'"

• "I said, 'Oh, they will if I'm good enough.'"

What she's saying: "I didn't tone it down," she said with a chuckle. Years later, after she had vaulted to superstardom, she said, Atkins acknowledged she knew best.

• "I think it's important that people wear what they're comfortable in," Parton said.
• "That's what I've done my whole life."

If you go: The exhibit runs through Dec. 9. Tickets are $25.