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While Angelina Jolie hasn’t appeared in an ad for St. John for some time, the luxury knitwear company is speaking out on the absence of her famous face from their campaign. The label’s chief executive officer Glenn McMahon tells WWD, “[Jolie] overshadowed the brand. We wanted to make a clean break from actresses and steer away from blondes and cleanse the palette.” So while other luxury brands have hired the likes of Madonna, Emma Watson, Eva Mendes and others to star in their upcoming spring/summer 2010 campaigns, St. John turned to red-headed model Karen Elson, a decision McMahon sees as a step in the right direction for the brand. “We needed to show a modern point of view of St. John,” he says. “We have evolved.” And according to the label’s website, executive vice president of design for St. John, George Sharp, who also directed the new ads, views Karen as the “epitome of the modern day woman…the St. John woman… strong, confident, sensual and approachable with effortless glamour.” Tell us: What do you think of St. John’s decision to drop Angelina Jolie from their ad campaign? – Andrea DeSimone

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Long hailed as the Sexiest Woman Alive, Angelina Jolie can add yet another honor to her name: Beauty Icon of the Decade. In a poll commissioned by British brand Superdrug, in which 3,000 people were questioned, Brad Pitt’s leading lady was named number one on their list of the top 20 beauty icons of the decade. “Angelina Jolie is not a conventional beauty but her strong character shines through her fabulous features to give her a unique standing in the beauty world,” Steve Jebson, Commercial Director for Superdrug, tells the UK’s Telegraph. Also making the top five are Jennifer Aniston, Kylie Minogue, Catherine Zeta-Jones and British star Cheryl Cole. Check out all the stars who made the list here and then tell us: Do you agree that Angelina Jolie is the beauty icon of the decade? Who else would you have put on this list?–Andrea DeSimone

Courtesy of Asprey; PA Photos/Landov (inset)

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have put their creative minds to something new — elegant serpent-themed jewelry! The power couple has teamed with a top British jeweler Asprey to come up with a series of designs for everything from earrings, pendants, bangles, rings to a silver spoon and egg cup. And, like so much of their life away from the cameras, the collection will benefit others. All the net proceeds will go to the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, to which the couple has already donated $1 million via the Jolie-Pitt Foundation in June 2008. For Jolie, 34, the inspiration for the collection was an obvious one. While she was expecting Shiloh in 2006, she was given a special gift — a protective snake ring. It was seen as a protector for mother and unborn child, and Jolie has come to view the motif as something of a family guardian. “Since then she has seen the snake symbol as a protective talisman for her family,” a source at Asprey tells PEOPLE. The series started out as something for children — 16-month-old Vivienne has already been photographed wearing bangles with the snake motifs– but has developed into the limited edition “Protector Collection” of high end jewelry and other luxuries, which does still include children’s items like a tooth box and silver egg cup. The collection becomes available tomorrow, November 17. –Simon Perry

Courtesy of Asprey

Courtesy of Asprey