Dolly Parton’s latest collaboration with Good American, the third installment of the 'Joleans' collection, arrives as a testament to personal style as an act of defiance. Parton’s philosophy—'To hell with you. This is me'—echoes a foundational principle in lingerie history: undergarments as a source of private confidence that radiates outward. While this collection is denim-focused, its ethos of engineered fit and bold self-presentation connects directly to the foundational garments in our archives.
Good American, founded in 2016 by Khloé Kardashian, operates with a modern ethos of size inclusivity that finds its precedent in earlier 20th-century innovators. Brands like Lane Bryant, which began advertising corsets for 'stout women' in the 1920s, similarly challenged industry norms by designing for overlooked bodies. Good American’s technical features—tummy-smoothing fabric, gap-proof waistbands—are the denim-world descendants of structural undergarments, offering both form and assurance.
The collection’s intricate embroidery, particularly the butterfly motif meaningful to Parton, recalls a more delicate craft tradition. This embellishment mirrors the detailed handiwork seen on Edwardian tea gowns or the silk kimonos of the early 1900s, where decoration was a personal signature. Parton notes that 'clothes can hold memories,' a sentiment deeply understood in lingerie preservation, where a garment often encapsulates a moment, a feeling, or an era of one’s life.
Ultimately, whether it’s a corset from 1910 or a pair of dramatically flared 'Joleans,' the goal remains aligned: to provide a framework for the wearer to feel, as Parton intends, 'bold, beautiful, and completely themselves.' The collaboration is less about festival season and more about the enduring project of dressing for one’s own narrative.
Originally reported by WWD