If I ask you to think of Courtney Love, what type of clothing do you picture her in? Chances are you probably envisioned her wearing a loose, babydoll type dress, and let it be known, this vision is of her own making.

Photo from Vogue

Courtney Love is one of the most influential women of rock and a style symbol in the grunge community. Courtney Love was the lead singer from the highly acclaimed 90’s rock band called Hole. She is certainly a bold and rebellious person which was translated to the image she created for herself throughout fashion. Love’s style was one full of contradictions; she wore silk dresses, but would pair it with mary janes, or wore nightgowns with bows, but wrote “witch” on her arms with a red marker. It can best be described as the lovechild between the babydoll style and rock n’ roll. Some term the style as “kinderwhore”, marking it as a sub-style in the grunge style. However odd it sounds, this look suited Courtney and defined a style for a generation.

Image from Galore Mag

As mentioned, Courtney’s style was an enigma of her own making. According to Hal Rubenstein in his book The Looks of Love, Love knew that each type of fabric created a specific statement. She created her own look that would define her by buying nightgowns made of crepe and having them tailored into babydoll dresses. She created her own aesthetic whose elements then influenced grunge female fashion in the 90s. The image she created was so captivating that designers were influenced by her and the babydoll dress became a staple of the 90s fashion. 

It’s interesting to see how Love used clothing as a tool in order to promote the image she created for herself. She caught the attention of everyone, designers and consumers alike with her daring looks. This helped her make an impact in not only the music industry, but the fashion community as well, solidifying her status as an icon in the Rock community.