Paris:

Rock star Madonna is to be the new face of an advertising campaign for the Italian fashion house Versace, according to a spokeswoman for the fashion-house, confirming a report in the magazine ‘Women’s Wear Daily’. The 46-year-old singer is a long-standing friend of Donatella Versace, artistic director of the couture and luxury read-to-wear label. The campaign for spring-summer 2005 will be shot by the fashion photographer Mario Testino and will centre on four pictures of Madonna, wearing day and evening wear, on the theme of women in the office.

“She’s an icon,” Donatella told WWD. “She is an innovator, a groundbreaker and the best in her field. She relates to women of all ages. She’s got extraordinary personal style and has been a friend of mine and the house for many years.” Madonna is only the latest in a long list of celebrities pressed into service to promote perfumes or fashion brands, which includes Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Catherine Zeta-Jones and, most recently, Uma Thurman. — AFP