Former television sensation Mischa Barton knows all too well the perils of overnight success in a fickle industry fueled by insatiable TMZ cameras. But in this starlet-inspired fashion story, shot on location at Hollywood’s iconic and recently revamped Sunset Marquis Hotel and Villas -- see full gallery -- the effortlessly glamorous star of The Sixth Sense, The O.C. and this month’s Assassination of a High School President proves she has what it takes to overcome her crash-and-burn past. Mr. Demille, you might want to go in for that close-up one more time.

A decadent and, at times, debauched haven for the world’s brightest stars since opening in 1963, the iconic Sunset Marquis Hotel and Villas recently went under the knife for an unprecedented multimillion-dollar makeover helmed by design visionary Oliva Villaluz. In this fashion story, actress Mischa Barton tests the waters.

From the steep incline of North Alto Loma Road, a few steps from the cacophony of potholes and streetwalkers on Sunset Boulevard, lies the Sunset Marquis Hotel and Villas, a hideaway for wayward starlets and Hollywood royalty. Inside its five-acre property, weary travelers and Centurion Card holders pass one another by the koi pond, hidden in plain sight by the palm trees that loom large over the resort’s intricate pathways.

But even though this place has stories torn straight from the Nick Nolte playbook, its walls don’t talk much. Rock icon Courtney Love was staying at the hotel when her husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead in Seattle, in what was eventually ruled a suicide. Devastated, she began scrawling her grief across the door to one of their many palatial rooms. (What would have become a cultural artifact was washed clean by well-meaning employees.) During one of the many peaks of their impassioned and highly publicized romance, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee staged public screaming sessions on the grounds, protected from the paparazzi (who have been strictly denied entrance). There wasn’t even much of a stir when James Caan stepped in to end a fight that erupted after Gary Oldman refused a drink from Don Johnson.

The lingering ghosts of Hollywood past aside, major change has come to the lavish hideaway, the most salient of which is its two-story Presidential Villa, a 3,200-square-foot expanse with two bedrooms, two poolside cabanas, a six-person dining area and its own screening room. At the end of last year, designer Oliva Villaluz put the finishing touches on a series of renovations that ushered the famed Los Angeles establishment into the 21st century. In addition to Restaurant, Guillaume Burlion’s epicurean refuge, Villaluz added 40 new villa suites to the existing 12, while revamping the 10 detached villas with an earthy color palette that eschews trends for luxe comfort.

Until recently, however, music -- not mohair -- has been the driving force behind the success of the Marquis. The legendary on-site recording studio, which has hosted everyone from Burt Bacharach and Madonna to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has been rechristened NightBird, and features a new batch of clients such as Eve and Lil Wayne. For most rockers, one of its biggest perks, aside from its world-class equipment, is the studio’s proximity to the former Whiskey Bar, now Bar 1200, a dark, guarded lounge with as much history as booze. Everyone from the Rolling Stones to Leonardo DiCaprio has sipped (or, most likely, guzzled) cocktails under the watchful eyes of Ozzy Osbourne and Roger Daltrey, as captured by photographer Ross Halfin. While we were shooting on location for this issue, Kevin Costner was seen sharing breakfast with his children, Morrissey was spotted reading poolside and Tommy Lee was caught dashing to the restroom with two busty blondes and one of the guys from Nickelback, proving that, despite its sophisticated overhaul, the Marquis is still -- and will always be -- rock ’n’ roll to its core.

Photography By Mark Squires. Styling by Elizabeth Sulcer.