The Pantsuit Pantry
Research Project
Year
2020 (updated 2021)
Sectors
Music / fashion / culture
Disciplines
Visual identity / branding
Website design
The Pantsuit Pantry is a digital, archival collection of Dolly Parton’s iconic pantsuits of the 1970s. Spurred on by a university brief, the project launched in the form of an interactive website in 2020 and has slowly evolved into a dedicated passion project in the years that followed. The Pantry features bespoke technical illustrations, as well as archival video and photographs of the Pantsuits from across the internet.
As show above, each suit has its own page with a little introductory description, as well as facts and specifications (Scale of Rarity, Scale of Sparkliness). Currently, there are 11 suits documented in the Pantry (with Pale Yellow is coming soon) spanning a good portion of the 1970s. This time was critical for Parton’s career, marking her transition from humble country singer to full-fledged pop star. Suits like ‘Hot Pink’, warn first at the 1977 Grammy Awards, act as monuments almost of her new found levels of confidence and fame. The primary function of the Pantry is celebrate each of the suits as much as Parton’s lustrous career.
Technical illustration of 'Baby Pink'
Technical illustration of 'Pale Pink'
Technical illustration of 'Opry Pink'
Technical illustration of 'Lavender'
Technical illustration of 'Hot Pink'
Technical illustration of 'Maroon'
Technical illustration of 'Little Red'
Technical illustration of 'Salmon'
Technical illustration of 'Yellow'
Technical illustration of 'Turquoise'
Technical illustration of 'Forest Green'
The website features a suite of graphics, ranging from symbols to technical illustrations used to identify and represent each of the pantsuits. The symbols were inspired by each suit’s unique or defining motif, whether it be the heart-shaped stones of ‘Opry Pink’ or the quatrefoil-shaped patches of ‘Hot Pink’. Using these symbols, abstracted, retro-inspired background illustrations were created to be used in place of archival imagery and to add an extra note of whimsy to each suit. The vast archive of photography was also used to create technical illustrations, or ‘flats’, offering an exclusive look at the details of each suit unobstructed by low quality photography.
