Beneath Donatella Versace's little tight dresses, blonde mane, pillowy lips, and everlasting sun-kissed glow is a big, warm heart. It may not stand out at fashion shows as much as her sky-high stilettos, but earthquake victims in China felt its power this week when Donatella visited them with Jet Li — even if they weren't quite sure who she was. Versace is funding the rebuilding of an elementary school in Sanjiang through the Jet Li One Foundation.

[T]he designer and Li played with the children and admired their artwork as hundreds of parents and villagers crowded outside the school grounds to watch.

Scads of children, most of whom recognized Li and guessed that Versace must be famous, clamored for autographs from anyone who could write in English as police and harried teachers tried to impose order amid mayhem.

In the past, we've seen a Donatella who travels with a dozen purple suitcases and has three assistants. But now we know a Donatella who journeys to far-off rural villages, where people don't even know who she is, and selflessly poses for refrigerator-magnet-worthy photos with needy children.

In other Versace news, Asia is on track to overtake the U.S. as the company's second-largest market after Europe next year.

Donatella Versace Visits Earthquake Zone [WWD]
Asia Seen Overtaking U.S. as Versace's Second-Largest Market [WSJ]