An image overhaul worked wonders for these savvy celebs, whose new look saw their career fortunes transformed.

Mark Wahlberg

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Before we knew him as Mark Wahlberg - actor and Calvin Klein underwear model - we knew him as Marky Mark, bratty pop star rapper and troublemaker. He started out with big brother Donnie in the New Kids on the Block and later became the lead in Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Although he did have a hit single (can anyone remember what it was?), his true claim to fame was for pulling his pants down at concerts and exposing his - um - boxer shorts. He is credited with single-handedly bringing sagging pants into style (a crime in itself).

By the time his second album came out, however, Marky was due for an image overhaul. Aside from poor record sales, there were demonstrations against him by gay and Asian anti-defamation groups and he faced charges for allegedly attacking a security guard.

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So how did Marky make the transition from bad boy rapper to actor/model Mark Wahlberg? It took more than just pulling up his pants and buttoning his shirt. After a few barely noticeable acting parts, he landed a role in Boogie Nights as the '70s porn star Dirk Diggler. Luckily for him, his performance was notable for more than just his strap-on 13-inch prosthetic penis. He received critical praise and other high-profile roles in films such as Three Kings, The Perfect Storm, Rock Star and Planet of the Apes soon followed. His personal style has improved too. Leaving the unbuttoned pants look behind him, Mark moved on to wear Armani suits and has become a real player in Hollywood.

Jon Bon Jovi

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Jon Bon Jovi (or John Francis Bongiovi as his family knows him) may have been faithful to his wife and high school sweetheart Dorothea for all these years, but he has been unfaithful to his former hairstyle - the mullet.

Jon Bon Jovi's early days as the lead guitarist for Bon Jovi were all about making hits like 'You Give Love a Bad Name' and 'Bad Medicine' and leading a fashion trend that many of us would sooner like to forget. After all, a Bon Jovi-esque mullet was essential for every high school kid playing in a metal band in his parents' garage. Some women even credit Bon Jovi with bringing the fringe back into fashion. But as grunge rock rose in popularity, the mullet and Bon Jovi saw a downturn in record sales. The solution? He cut his hair and took his image into the new millennium.

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Like many rockers turned movie stars, Bon Jovi eventually cleaned up his act. Although his film career never did take off, he gave the last series of Ally McBeal a much-needed boost after Robert Downey Jr fell off the wagon.

Younger McBeal fans may not remember a time when spandex, ripped jeans and big hair were an essential look, but Bon Jovi's updated haircut and reformed style certainly caught the eye of many.

'I've grown a lot more comfortable in my shoes, and they don't have fringe or heels now,' says the man himself. He obviously made the right choice. His new look earned him a place on People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People list in 1996, as well as its vote for Sexiest Rock Star in 2000.

Madonna

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This former cheerleader turned pop icon did not make her claim to fame on grace and charm. It was a combination of her never-ending obsession to 'make it' and her media-savvy ability to create trends that catapulted the Material Girl into the limelight. Her scantily clad 'like a virgin' look went straight from MTV to high streets across the globe. Push-up bras, lace gloves, mesh shirts, micro stretch skirts and hair bows found themselves on teens worldwide. The '80s brought her countless hits and the ability to make anything trendy. But between her tumultuous marriage to Sean Penn and her sagging acting career, she struggled to prove herself as a real artist. Her album Erotica and her controversial coffee table book Sex in the '90s also made fans a little nervous.

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Leave it to Madonna to emerge from it all unscathed. Somehow she manages to constantly reinvent herself - and to do so with such style that it's hard not look forward to seeing what she'll do next. Whether it's a Dolce e Gabbana vintage glittery cowboy suit or a punk-inspired plaid mini skirt, this mum of two knows how to work it.

Brad Pitt

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Brad Pitt- internationally considered one of the sexiest men alive - wasn't exactly born the stylish guy we loved in Ocean's Eleven. Brad (or William Bradley Pitt) made his start when he lied to his parents about going to college and headed to California to become an actor. His first job was dressing as a street corner chicken for fast food outlet El Pollo Loco. His next job was driving strippers to work in a limo. Soon he was getting small parts on Dallas, Growing Pains and Head of the Class. Finally he played the stud who stole Geena Davis's heart and money in Thelma and Louise. He was hot then, but a little on the grungy side. His wardrobe consisted of dirty jeans and T-shirts.

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By 1998 Brad was dating Jennifer Aniston and sporting a little more style (which, of course, didn't stop him from posing for Rolling Stone magazine in a dress). It was Jennifer, however, who wore the dress to their wedding in 2000. And Brad's level of sophistication has only improved since they married - when he's not practicing the grunge look for film roles, of course.

Courtney Love

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Although Courtney was a musician in her own right as the lead singer for Hole, she became famous as the grungy, chubby wife of Nirvana's lead singer Kurt Cobain. What few people know about this celeb is that she started off as a struggling stripper who had a hard time finding work because she was too fat. She moved onto acting with a small role in Sid and Nancy, but she almost gave up on it because of pimples. 'I just couldn't pull it off. I'd get zits,' she says. However, she didn't let a few minor setbacks (and acne) stop her from making it. In 1992, at the height of her fashion grunginess, she married Cobain and gave birth to Francis Bean shortly after.

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After the death of Cobain in 1994, Love took time to get herself together. In 1996 she re-emerged with an entirely new look. The former fashionless rocker with smeared lipstick and ratty hair now sported a flaxen blonde bob and looked 30 pounds lighter. She turned in her vintage baby doll dresses for Versace couture gowns. The full turnaround was evident when Love was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance as the bisexual junkie stripper Althea Leisure in The People vs. Larry Flynt. She continues to make waves for her sense of fashion, but no one can deny the amazing transformation Love has made.