Courtney Love Then & Now (PHOTOS)

A HuffPost Style happy birthday goes out to Courtney Love, who turns 47 on Saturday.

The songstress-turned-fashionista has certainly been riddled with a series of controversies, legal battles and addictions. But she's tried to ditch the "train wreck" moniker in favor of being a serious fan of la mode.

She told the New York Times last November that she will "never, ever forgive" her mother "for not being glamorous," and that, "For years, despite having impeccable taste, I didn't understand how to convey that I had impeccable taste." Among the designing crowd credited with bringing Courtney to her current sartorial senses: Karl Lagerfeld, who may or may not have told her, "You're drowning in The Kook," Andre Leon Talley, perhaps responsible for making her realize a Birkin bag ain't everything and Anna Sui, introduced to Courtney after she tried on everything in her SoHo boutique...and all of it ended up on the floor. Love has even tried her hand at style blogging and shilling her unwanted wares on eBay.

Check out Courtney then and now -- the truth is she can pull off some serious high-fashion looks (think sequined Miu Miu and feathered Chanel Haute Couture) -- and tell us what you think.

Comments

[Fetus]

06:28 PM on 07/11/2011

She's like the stock market of good/bad looks - many ups and downs with no predictable pattern.

[Max Shaw]

03:24 PM on 07/11/2011

Wow...the years have not only been bad to her, it looks like they robbed her in an alley taking all but her crack pipe.

[Havana Thinks]

07:26 AM on 07/11/2011

The high fashion designers either loan or give her the clothes and accessories to wear in an attempt to 'clean her up' and publicize their fashions. But, please......

A clean, nice pair of jeans and a lovely, off the shoulder sweater is all she needs. Let's hope it is long-sleeved.
Happy Birthday and get well soon!

[negraloca]

07:10 AM on 07/11/2011

it might help if (1) she had a better stance and (2) her face didn't have to be in the shot.

[ADP4]

02:24 AM on 07/11/2011

wow, that was really depressing.

[dengal]

07:23 PM on 07/10/2011

drugs, time and surgery have not been good yo her

[Nic the wonder puppy]

04:00 PM on 07/10/2011

This is me Then and now

[Hardyman1966]

03:16 PM on 07/10/2011

Do you get the impression that there are always 3 or 4 people surrounding her, propping her up, and then they split one second before the camera clicks for a pseudo-perfect-survivor shot?

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

09:18 PM on 07/10/2011

Absolutely. How that one has avoided aspiration is a puzzler.

[Hardyman1966]

10:51 PM on 07/10/2011

She's the un-Jessica-Rabbit and really IS drawn that way.  :)

[mukTech]

02:49 PM on 07/10/2011

Beautiful girl. I like pictures #22 and #23. Unfortunately, drugs have messed her up.

[mitzvah]

02:37 PM on 07/10/2011

I have such ambivalent feelings about everything about her!

[TonyLeTigre]

02:03 PM on 07/10/2011

Courtney is a fabulous, charismatic and beautiful survivor. Haters just love to hate.

[Abigailia]

01:57 PM on 07/10/2011

The plastic surgery has made her look better and worse all at once. She may as well have left her face alone.

[LiberalLee]

11:46 AM on 07/10/2011

funny... but when she takes the time to clean the old eye shadow and liner off her face, she doesn't look as much like a derelict.
And she looks about 10 years younger.
One would hardly even THINK to look for needle tracks...

[jeana21]

11:44 AM on 07/10/2011

This chick has gone up and down more than Jenna Jameson at Scores...

[TheBestPatriot]

11:32 AM on 07/10/2011

She still looks horrible and has always looked horrible. I am not sure what these photos were supposed to do.

The best thing about Courtney died years ago.