Super-Endurance Model Bows Out
Will Beyoncé replace her?
In the fickle world of fashion advertising, Kelly Gray is an institution. The daughter of St. John co-founders Marie and Robert Gray, she’s been the signature model for the knitwear line for twenty years, posing on boats and in other nautical settings, usually in the company of shirtless men. But CEO Richard Cohen has said that St. John, known for its wealthy, older demo, now wants “to talk to a customer that has never thought about talking to St. John before”—the kind of conversation best conducted with a young, A-list celebrity. Neither St. John nor its new ad agency, Lipman, Richmond, Greene, will reveal who’s in the running to replace Kelly, who reportedly agreed to the switch. But a source close to St. John reveals that Naomi Watts, Angelina Jolie, and Beyoncé are the top three contenders, and that one of them will be picked within the next month. At which point Kelly can finally take her shore leave.
—Amy Zalneraitis