Dolly Parton outfit from 1977 Fort Worth concert just sold. Its value may shock you.

Matt Leclercq
·2 min read
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Patric Parkey didn’t know much about the bedazzled orange cape he bought at a Nashville auction a few weeks ago, other than the fact that his idol Dolly Parton once wore it on stage in the 1970s.

To Parkey, who arguably owns the world’s largest private collection of Dolly memorabilia in his east Tennessee home, the lack of provenance didn’t matter that much. He was attracted to the design of the orange and pearl rhinestones, which to him looked like the star of Bethlehem, and he ended up paying about $5,000 for it.

Patric Parkey, a Dolly Parton memorabilia collector in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., recently purchased at a Nashville auction this orange cape once worn by Parton. Parkey discovered through a Star-Telegram story Dec. 18 that the cape was from Parton’s Fort Worth concert on Dec. 2, 1977, at Panther Hall.
Patric Parkey, a Dolly Parton memorabilia collector in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., recently purchased at a Nashville auction this orange cape once worn by Parton. Parkey discovered through a Star-Telegram story Dec. 18 that the cape was from Parton’s Fort Worth concert on Dec. 2, 1977, at Panther Hall.

Then his friend came across a Star-Telegram story published this week about Parton’s concert at Fort Worth’s Panther Hall on Dec. 2, 1977.

The story featured recently digitized negatives of photos taken by the Star-Telegram during the show — photos that hadn’t been seen in 46 years. And despite the images being in black and white, Parkey recognized the sleeved tunic-like cape immediately.

Dec. 2, 1977: Dolly Parton entering Panther Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, with her crew for a concert. There were 1,250 people in the venue’s country music ballroom.
Dec. 2, 1977: Dolly Parton entering Panther Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, with her crew for a concert. There were 1,250 people in the venue’s country music ballroom.

“Dolly is a very religious person, and if you look at the pictures — even in black and white — in the middle it looks like the star of Bethlehem,” he told the Star-Telegram on Tuesday from his home in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Dec. 2, 1977: Dolly Parton performing in concert at Panther Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, to a crowd of 1,250 people in the venue’s country music ballroom.
Dec. 2, 1977: Dolly Parton performing in concert at Panther Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, to a crowd of 1,250 people in the venue’s country music ballroom.

Now that he knows where and when Parton wore the garment, “I like it that much more,” he said.

Many of Parton’s gowns in the 1970s were made by her seamstress Lucy Adams. The orange cape was one of three outfits that Parkey bought at the Julien’s Auctions sale in Nashville in November, bringing his total number of Parton outfits in his collection to 54. One of the other capes he bought at the auction cost more than $10,000.

Parkey and his husband also own thousands of other items including photos, posters, shoes, dolls, games and even a pink bed where Parton slept at Dollywood. About eight years ago, Parton herself visited their home to admire their shrine.

Parkey was born in Dallas and lived in the Euless area before moving to east Tennessee about 13 years ago. That made the discovery of the orange cape’s Cowtown connection even more exciting.

“Things work in mysterious ways,” he said after seeing the Star-Telegram photos. “I almost just died. Really? Fort Worth, Texas?”

Newly revealed photos from Dolly Parton’s 1977 concert in Fort Worth’s Panther Hall