Planet Shandar Columns

This month, following the annual Academy of Country Music awards ceremony, I decided that I would be a little bit country. Just a little bit!

While I am not the biggest country music aficionado, I have always been interested in its history. So when I was given an opportunity to visit one of the largest private collections of country music memorabilia in the world, I jumped at it.

I was amazed by the size and scope of the collection, which is located in California. The items range from handwritten lyrics and autographs to costumes and musical instruments.

Everyone loves Dolly Parton. And what’s not to love about her! Big hair, lots of makeup and sweet as pie. I’ve been drawn to her since I was a little girl. So, when I spied her outrageous ’70s satin jumpsuit, I couldn’t wait to try it on. I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about “going there” when it came to filling Dolly’s shoes (and her outfit!) because I didn’t know how I would stack up against her.

The height was almost perfect. The waist was a little big, which surprised me, since her waist looks soooo tiny whenever I’ve seen her. My waist is 24, but I guess that what Dolly has on top would make anything look tiny! Dolly Parton costumes are really rare, and seldom show up on the market. This one, featuring her classic look during her prime is valued at over $5,000.

Me and Sissy Spacek –
as Loretta.

Country music memorabilia is a fairly rare commodity when it comes to significant items. For some reason, there’s not a lot of high-end or rare material available. I was told this is because most country artists hold onto their costumes since many are custom made by tailors like the legendary Nudie and Manuel. As a result, prices for them can reach thousands of dollars.

One suit in this collection – a custom-made Porter Waggoner jacket and pants heavily embroidered and rhinestone studded – cost $5,000 to make in the 1960s! Today, anything made by the late Nudie Cohen, who was the clothier to anybody who was anybody in country, is very collectable, whether it belonged to a star or not. Today the Porter Waggoner suit is valued at nearly $10,000.

The collection is home to quite a few Nudie’s originals. Nudie typically did beautiful embroidery complemented by multi-colored rhinestones, with many of his costumes weighing as much as eight or nine pounds due to the decorations. Today, Nudie’s contemporaries are Manuel of Nashville, who was an understudy of Nudie, and Jaime Castellano of Los Angeles, who worked under Manuel. Both tailors still cater to the country music crowd, and their costumes are considered collectable and valuable.

Johnny Cash's frock coat I’m “The Girl In Black,”
wearing Johnny Cash’s frock coat.

One costume, which was extremely stark compared to some of its rhinestone-studded neighbors, belonged to none other than the Man In Black himself, the legendary Johnny Cash. Now, there is no one in country music – and few others in any type of music – as big as Johnny Cash. And I mean that both literally and figuratively! The man is one big guy! I tried on his trademark black (of course) frock coat, and could have worn it as a trench coat, it was so big!

The jacket, made of a luxurious fabric and featuring a high black velvet collar, was very heavy. What amazed me most was the length of Johnny’s pants! The man is all legs! When I held the pants up, they nearly reached my neck. Johnny has always been a classy dresser, and all of his stage wear is custom made. Eaves Costume Company of New York made the Cash suit I’m modeling here. The collection also included Cash’s clothing from the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Several pairs of boots – size 13 – also are featured. Cash’s costumes range in the thousands of dollars and are rarely found available for sale.

Hee-Haw!

One of my favorite costume pieces was a cowgirl shirt that belonged to Patsy Cline. What makes this piece really unusual is that Jessica Lange also wore it when she portrayed Cline in the 1985 film Sweet Dreams. Patsy Cline costumes are among the rarest of all country duds and are virtually impossible to find.

To complete my cowgirl look, I grabbed one of Garth Brooks’ autographed hats. Garth is viewed as the biggest contemporary country singer, and his memorabilia is in big demand. The hat, a Stetson, was worn by him on stage and is valued at more than $2,000. The collection also features a stage-worn and autographed trademark Brooks shirt.

Courtesy of Pop Culture Collecting Magazine