Anne Hathaway Talks Her Spring Must-Haves (Sheer Skirts!), Hanging Out with Donatella Versace, and More

It’s no secret that Anne Hathaway is a Versace muse. Over the years, the actor has worn many of Donatella Versace’s designs on the red carpet—including at last year’s Met Gala. It’s fitting, then, that Hathaway is the star of the Italian label’s new Icons campaign alongside Cillian Murphy, out today.

Photographed by the legendary duo Meet & Marcus, Hathaway models pieces such as Versace’s leather corsets, denim staples, and slinky knit dresses. “I loved the all-denim outfit, the denim busier especially,” Hathaway told Vogue over the phone earlier this week. “There's a knit ribbed dress with little gold buttons on it—I love that one. And there was this pleated skirt with a lady jacket. Those were the ones that I would've attempted to steal.”

With the new images out in the world, Vogue took the opportunity to catch 15 minutes with Hathaway. Below, she talks talks what’s in her spring wardrobe (turns out, sheer skirts!), being a Versace muse, and hanging out with Donatella.

Vogue: Hi Anne! How’s your day going?

Anne Hathaway: Very nice—very busy! Nonstop. I’m filming in Atlanta.

Nice! Well, I was very excited to hear you’re back in this new Versace campaign. What excited you most about being a part of it?

When I was first asked to take part in the Icons campaign last year, I didn't really know that Donatella knew who I was. I've been lucky enough to wear a Versace on a number of occasions—but so do a lot of people, so you don't think you're special in the eyes of the designer. When I found out that actually I did have a meaning for her, I was incredibly honored and flattered. I'm a huge fan of her work and everything she stands for. Now that I know her a little bit better, I know that everything she does has family at the core of it, so I feel like I've been invited deeper into the Versace family.

When I think of a Versace girl, I have a very specific image in my mind. What do you think defines the look?

The thing that I loved was everybody was wearing it totally their own way. When I wear Versace, it brings out a quality in me that I don't even see clearly; It's just something that feels enhanced by the design and the attention for detail. It’s how I would describe Donatella: A Versace woman is fierce, smart, sweet, powerful, snd doesn’t take things for granted. And funny! That was one of the things that was a delight to learn about Donatella, is that she’s really funny and very quick to laugh.

I think many people would be curious to know what it’s like to hang out with Donatella, because she’s so fabulous. What have been some of your favorite moments together?

I got invited to the show this past February, and the night before, even though she had so much going on, she carved out a little time. We had a girl's dinner with some people that we worked with on the campaign, and it was just beautiful. There was pink flowers everywhere, and the lighting was good, and we just laughed. Another one of my favorite memories of her—I wasn't there when it happened—was when she gave that speech at La Scala, when she stood up to the right-wing Italian government to insist that LGBTIQA+ rights be respected and valued and loved. When I think of her, I think of that.

You’ve worn a lot of Versace on the red carpet over the years. What is it about her designs that keeps you coming back?

One, Donatella is extremely generous! But there’s nothing else quite like it. It does something to me. The Versace brand is really about celebrating life, so when I wear it, that's what I connect to. The clothes themselves are so beautifully-made, especially when you get to the atelier level. There's really nothing else to compare it to when you get inside one. You feel enhanced and held at the same time.

She knows how to make you feel good.

And specifically women! She knows that we want to feel gorgeous, but there's also a practical reality that no two bodies are alike, and she creates designs that hold us all.

Given this campaign is coming out near the spring, I wanted to ask you a few general spring fashion questions. What are you into fashion-wise this season?

I’m seeing a lost of waistcoats vests in light colored linens, and I couldn’t be happier. They’re really timeless and easy to wear in the summertime. They pair great with a lot of different silhouettes.

Are there any other spring pieces that are going to be your go-tos?

I do love a denim maxi skirt. I also love when you can find a really good shirt dress! I love a shirt dress [because] Manhattan, when it gets hot, is pretty brutal. And I don't go anywhere without a hat and sunscreen. I keep it very simple. Oh, and I’m very excited that people are pairing skirts with sneakers. I think we're all much happier and we'll probably live longer.

Are there any trends, like the sheer trend, that you would embrace?

A transparent pencil skirt! There’s so many gorgeous ones, where it’s a little mini skirt and a transparent overlay. It pairs so beautifully with a plain tank top and a great necklace.

Before you go, I wanted to ask you about the trailer for your new film, The Idea of You. It broke records as the most-watched trailer from a streaming film ever. Did you expect that kind of response?

A part of you always hopes that something you work on will be received as you made it. This one was made with such attention to detail by the most incredible team, led by Michael Showalter. We really calibrated the film to feed an audience that hasn't been fed in a really long time, and every day, every single choice, we thought about what is something that people can feast on. So to have served up the first amuse-bouche and to watch people enjoy it, it's sort of the thing that you hope for. Rarely does it go as promisingly as this is going, and it means so much.

I’m very excited to see it. I’m actually hopefully going to Coachella this month—I know that your characters meet at Coachella in the film.

Oh! What are you wearing?

I don’t know! I’ve never been. I’ll take your tips.

Be prepared to be very hot during the day. And it gets chilly at night. Footwear is really important. You know, a couple years ago, [Coachella] was all about a ‘look’—and now it seems like people are like, ‘What am I just going to feel great in?’ I’m a big fan of that. Who’s headlining [this year]?

Lana Del Rey! And Doja Cat, among others.

Oh my god.

So excited. I’m a huge Lana fan.

Yeah, her new album is insane. I was literally stuck in the first four songs for six weeks straight. I couldn’t move on. The only thing that helped me move on was I found ‘Get Free,’ which I’ve been stuck in for three and a half months now. I can't get out of it, and I don't want to. But what's that awesome line from [Lana’s “A&W” song]? “Looking like a side piece at 33?” Just dress like a side piece at 33—that’s your Coachella inspiration.