Sept. 25 is recognized as “Dolly Parton Day” — well, at least in some states and the borough of Manhattan. But who doesn’t want to celebrate the legendary singer’s lifelong philanthropy, literacy efforts and sheer irreverence? The day also celebrates Parton’s first movie role, in the 1980 comedy “9 to 5,” and its hit theme song, written by the country music icon.
When the movie, featuring Parton, Lilly Tomlin and Jane Fonda, opened, many of the reviews, including WWD’s, were not stellar. The film became the second-highest-grossing film of 1980 at the domestic box office, earning $103.3 million, and helped fuel the growth of the multimillion-dollar category of career clothes.
WWD, “Career Dressing” special section, 1983 and Donna Karan spring 1986 runway show, New York. Fairchild Archive/WWD.
Looking back on the significance of the film, which focused on women in the workforce, made me reflect on the era. Women were entering the workforce en masse, helping to drive the rise of “professional” fashion and coordinated separates. This shift changed not only women’s roles as leaders in the workforce, but also the retail floor. It’s safe to say that going to the office then — remember power suits, white athletic socks and Reebok sneakers — looked very different than it does today. In fact it, would take until the late 1990s before the term “casual Fridays” became a thing. Today, that’s everyone’s work fashion.
Advance look at Anne Klein fall 1980. Fairchild Archive/WWD
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Fashion helped define the “dress for success” era, which would expand the global ready-to-wear market. WWD had already begun amplifying the category in the 1950s with its “College Shop” focus, which offered a veritable interchangeable wardrobe of blouses, skirts, blazers, dresses and pants for women’s “on-the-move” lifestyle. Those “crispy clean” suits; dress-with-jacket ensembles — the catalyst for the power suit — and standard sheath dresses, all worn with the required pumps and stockings, were the uniform of the day.
As the celebration of all things Dolly continues — from her love of a specific shade of pink to all the sparkle and shine — I’ve stepped back into the archives to resurface WWD’s exclusive advance and runway coverage 1980’s career clothes. Featuring American designers including Liz Claiborne, Bill Blass, Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Anne Klein and others, who created the “9 to 5” fashion of the decade. The clothes may have changed, but the question of how women dress for work — and who gets to define that uniform — remains.
