British model and singer Karen Elson is the new face of Cartier in a Christmas campaign that channels old world glamour.

The redhead stars in a music video glittering with gems, and set to the 1949 song Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend.

The video for the 168-year-old Parisian jeweller also features its emblematic panther, prowling in the background.

Surrounded by a bevy of men in tuxedos, Elson channels the late sex kitten Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and re-enacts that iconic skirt blowing scene from The Seven-year Itch.

The 36-year-old top model shot to fame in 1997, and has since fronted campaigns for major fashion brands including Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford and YSL Beauté.

She was one of eight British models who appeared at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony held in London.

Elson, formerly married to US rocker Jack White, is also a singer-songwriter.

Elson and White held a party ahead of their pending divorce in 2011, which they called a "positive swing bang humdinger".

While the divorce proceedings were acrimonious, the former couple later made up.