Courtey Love
From grunge to goddess in - oh, lets do the math here - one movie. With her brave, blistering
performance in 1996's The People vs. Larry Flynt, Courtney Love, 33, rehabbed her reputation
from drugged-out rock singer to serious Hollywood actress - and her wardrobe has followed. The
sexy couture creations that she wears today are a far cry from the decrepit baby-doll frocks and
Mary Janes that she wore onstage with her band Hole, her lipstick smeared a la Bette Davis in
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
"Between Courtney's brains and the fact that she natually has pretty interesting taste, she
figured it out pretty quick," says stylist Wendy Schecter, who worked with Love much of last
year. "She always knew how to make a statement with clothes. Whether everyone agreed with it or
not, she always had the ability to home in on the thing that was provovative or beautiful."
After years of the former, the widow of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and mother of his daughter Frances
Bean, 5, is embracing the latter. "She chose to subvert the elegant look for a while," says
Poppy Z. Brite, former pal and author of Courtney Love: the Real Story. "But I think
she's always known how to look like this if she wanted to." Mixing Prada and Versace with a
vast collection of vintage wear, Love has, says Brite, "through all these different looks
retained an extreme individuality."
In some ways, she has followed the Hollywood crowd - she has admitted to having plastic surgery.
But the changes are more than scalpel-deep. Says Larry Flynt makeup artist Ben Nye: "There's
a softness in her face. Her makeup today says she's joyful and happy, whereas before she was
maybe... not so happy. Today we're seeing an entirely different and very beautiful Courtney
Love."
Accompanying photos:
"Before" group of photos
"After" group of photos*
Captions:
Before
1993 Love (left) was "responsible for introducing Mary Janes" says costumer Arianne
Philips.
1995 Dressed for a London gig (below) Love was lacy and racy.
1994 Author Poppy Z. Brite believes Love (partying in L.A., left) used body language
as "part of the riot grrl movement to reclaim offensive language as feminists."
1995 Too pooped to pop at an L.A. awards show (below), Love "felt a lot angrier back
then," says Brite.
After
1997 Stylist Wendy Schectre suspects that even Love (sporting a chic retro look in
Paris, left) "is a bit surprised by how much she's blossomed." Clockwise from right: sauntering
at the VH-1 Fashion Awards; shouldering Versace for an ACLU benefit; again in Versace at the
Batman and Robin premiere, glowing in Valentino at the Golden Globe Awards; in white
Versace at the Oscars.
*=pretty bad scan
