BEHIND THE SEAMS: My Life in Rhinestones

Sparkling and entertaining like the wonderful country singer herself, this gorgeously photographed book shares the story in Dolly's own words of her lifelong passion for fashion and how she developed her distinctive Dolly style. This is the largest ever reveal of country music icon Dolly Parton's private costume archive, through 450 full colour photographs including exclusive images from her private collection. The sky-high heels, famous wigs, bold makeup, eye-catching stage clothes, the sexy halter neck dress for the cover of Vanity Fair which brilliantly showed off her finest assets up front, she is pictured here with American soldiers wearing it. All the creative embellishments on her gowns have intricate beadwork, see peacock encrusted cowboy boots and matching minidress worn when she guest hosted Saturday Night Live, heavyweight beautiful dresses covered in thousands of pearls and beads just like she dreamed of as a little girl, and even wearing it she managed to lift her arm to play banjo. 'Now she's a livin' her dreams like a movie queen/Diamond rings and all things good/From the breadlines to the headlines/She's the toast of Hollywood.' When she turned 40, she said it was like a switch clicked on - 'I'd always known what I wanted, but now I knew what to do to get it.' Filled with candour, humour, and lots and lots of rhinestones, Dolly discusses memorable outfits from her past from the clothes her mother would sew out of feed sacks including her 'Coat of Many Colors', and the bold dresses and hairdos that shook up Nashville, to the bunny suit on the cover of Playboy, evening wear at Studio 54, costumes from her most famous film and TV roles, and the daring styles that continued to entertain and inspire today. Buttons and butterflies, two of her favourite things, in our eyes the best thing this lady wears is her huge smile. In love with leather dresses and shoulder pads, studs and fringes, as well as silk, chiffon and tulle, here is country girl glamour photographed in spectacular close-up detail and with extended captions, many on black background paper so that these costumes really sing. 'Clothes are like songs. Just as hearing certain music brings back particular memories, so it is with certain outfits.' 328 pages, 23.5 x 31cm.