Versace, house of icons. Yes, that includes models like Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington but also living legends, like Y2K queen Paris Hilton, singer Dua Lipa, and diva extraordinaire Cher who, like Versace itself, never needed more than one name.
Now, Donatella Versace has two names but they're each as impactful as the women who've embodied the spirit of the her luxury house from decade to decade, like Anne Hathaway.
Anne Hathaway is a literal Versace icon. Literal! Because she remains the face of Versace's Icons collection.
Versace Icons is a capsule collection that defines the essential Versace wardrobe. It's the clothes that Donatella deems irreplaceable and the clothes that Hathaway herself reaches for on a daily basis.
"These are the wardrobe essentials I live in," Donatella Versace told Highsnobiety. "From travelling to being in the boardroom, from a dinner out to working with my team. Icons is my ultimate Versace wardrobe."
The first edition of Versace Icons launched in April and comprised a mélange of wardrobe staples and Versace signatures that range from denim jeans to a Medusa head-strapped dress inspired by an archival number. Hathaway modeled them all, naturally.
Versace Icons round two, which releases in October, comprises another collection of trend-agnostic Versace pieces pulled from all eras of the maison. It encompasses textural denim and nappa leather, tanks and trenches, knits and bags topped with hardware inspired by Versace's mid-90s collections.
As usual, Hathaway fronts the campaign.
"Anne is a powerful, successful, and incredibly kind person. She is a modern Icon and the Versace woman," Donatella said. "She knows exactly what she likes and what suits her. She loves powerful clothes that make her feel her best self. Our values align."
That's where Versace comes in, dressing Hathaway for basically all of the major events she's attended as of late.
Top of the list: Hathaway's show-stopping Met Gala 2023 dress, a fantabulous case study in what makes Hathaway's Versace era so essential. It's old and new, deferential to the past while being mindful of the present.
Could there be anyone better suited to front Versace Icons or co-host the celebratory dinner held for the collection in New York?
"Versace clothes are for women who know their own mind, who run businesses, who champion change and use their platform for good," said Donatella. "That is Anne."
