“She’s A Woman After My Own Heart”: Why Donatella Versace Chose Anne Hathaway to Front a Very Personal Collection

Anne “loves and understands great clothes”, says the designer, who, when asked about the pieces she personally couldn’t live without, starts with “black pants—always. Amazing tailored trousers that fit superbly. Long black trousers with a platform boot underneath are an essential for me, and a great black tailored jacket,” adds Donatella. “Beautifully made, perfectly fitted. Fierce. A little reminder about who is in charge!”

Donatella has “long admired Anne because she is an extraordinary artist with a strong point of view about her career”, she says. “She also uses her platform for good as a UN goodwill ambassador. She is a woman after my own heart.” As for the Versace woman Anne embodies in the Icons collection, which is available from 3 April: “She’s a little bit dangerous,” says the designer in behind-the-scenes video footage captured on the set of the campaign shoot. “Dangerous but sexy.”

Hathaway has turned to Donatella’s unmistakable brand of Italian glamour on many occasions in the past—the star wore Atelier Versace sequins to make her return to the red carpet at the 2020 Critics’ Choice Awards following the birth of her second child, and more recently attended Versace’s blockbuster fall 2023 runway show in L.A. wearing a high-shine LBD and a very Donatella pair of platform boots. Sure enough, the designer cites that particular outing from Anne as a personal favourite. “The perfect little black dress.”

Hathaway herself sums up the new Versace Icons collection as “timeless elegance with an edge”. But it was not only the clothes that left a lasting impression on her, but also Donatella’s “heart, generosity and kindness”. “She and everyone in the Versace family have been so incredibly welcoming and supportive of me,” Hathaway says. “What a thrill to be a Versace woman!”