Mathilde studied art history before modelling, and she brings a collector's eye to fabric: she can tell a duchess satin from a faille at twenty paces, and editors trust her instincts on set.

The Velours N°20 cover paired her with archival jewellery for a luxury-fabrics story that ran twenty pages — the longest feature the title had commissioned that year.

She works the gala circuit each May, dresses exclusively through the agency's fashion office, and never — bookers confirm — runs late.