How things have changed. Today, hardly an MTV awards show or an Oscar gala goes by without some celebrity parading before the cameras wearing a bit of fur.

From the music world, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Courtney Love, Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, Lil Kim, Missy Elliott and Lisa Marie Presley are just a sampling of those seen wearing fur.

The hottest actresses also have to have the look: Gillian Anderson, Nicole Kidman, Minnie Driver, Gwyneth Paltrow, Claire Danes, Geena Davis, Isabella Rossellini, Angelica Huston, Sigourney Weaver, Elizabeth Hurley, Ashley Judd, Kyra Sedgwick, Demi Moore, Anne Heche, Jada Pinkett Smith and Winona Ryder.

So what gives? Celebs who used to go grunge, not bothering to dress for their high-profile status, have had a change of heart. It might be that they've suddenly been struck by nostalgia for Marilyn Monroe-era glamour, since luxury has finally come out of the closet. But these days, looking good has become part of the celebrity job description, and so is keeping up with the latest fashion.

Actors and musicians used to just flit about the outskirts of the fashion industry; now they're courted by designers, and they're regular, front-seat patrons at runway shows.

Designers have played a key role in getting well-known pretty young things back into fur fashions. Remember Nicole Kidman's famous Christian Dior by John Galliano dress at the Academy Awards? And Minnie Driver in a red Halston, trailing a matching fox boa behind her and getting best-dressed kudos at this year's Oscars? Of course, the movie Evita put Madonna on the cover of numerous magazines wearing fur, and she's since been seen wearing it from her own wardrobe.

But it was probably the house of Dolce & Gabbana that has done the most for making young actresses feel comfortable in fur. When they trimmed colorfully patterned, sheer chiffon evening coats in mink and fox, they struck a chord with celebs that was at once bohemian, relaxed and luxurious. Since then, there's been no turning back.