A new generation of supermodels is here. They’re on the world’s runways, magazine covers, music videos and iPhone screens. They are everywhere in our connected world. As summer rolls in, they prepare for some well-deserved rest and relaxation — even at the age of COVID-19.

Next up is  Mariam de Vinzelle, shot by Inez and Vinoodh and styled by George Cortina. The French model launched her career into the stars with a Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2017 show; she has been living on the covers and in editorials of major publications around the world ever since. We asked her about her favorite camera trick, her summer reading list, and what she has been up to while in quarantine.

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Read the full interview, below.

V Magazine Where are you from?

Mariam de Vinzelle I am from Paris!

V When you’re not modeling, what are you up to? Do you have a hidden talent? What would people be surprised to hear?

MDV It’s more the other way around, surprisingly! When I am not at school, one of the best French engineering school, solving equations, learning quantum physics or in the labs experimenting chemical or physical reactions, I am modeling! But other than that, I also love to dance, to feel the music taking control of my body and letting it take this control! It is completely exhilarating.

V How do you feel in front of the camera?

MDV In front of the camera, I am a completely different person. I unplug my scientific brain and let my heart and creativity take over. I love to build a picture, hand in hand with the photographer, finding a pose, a movement, a volume that will create a great image.

V How did the onset of this year’s public health crisis change your outlook on life and work?

MDV To me, it is very hard to fully take a break and look back on what I have accomplished in life, the person I have become.  Indeed, on the one hand, my engineering school requires students to keep focus, to attend every class (using skype or zoom) and on the other hand, a world health crisis is happening out there. It almost feels like I have more work than usual, which is stressful.

It is hard when you are asked to work as if nothing is happening, while all the exciting plans you’ve made to motivate you every day (trips, professional opportunities…)  are gradually getting canceled.

V What have you learned while in solitude?

MDV Clearly, this social distancing has at least taught my grandmother how to use FaceTime. However, I don’t really believe in many advantages of solitude. Personally, even if sometimes I am craving for some alone-time, I know that after one day of isolation, I would start to go crazy, to talk to my furniture, to put on music very loud and dance to release the pressure. I need social interaction—it fulfills me, it inspires me, it gives me energy—and this does not mean that I am not an independent woman, not at all. Social distancing has made me realize that love and friendship are my fuel. And if I know that one of my friends is isolated, I will make sure to call him/her every day, or as much as I can. The best thing that can come out of this situation is solidarity.

V Many people are reevaluating travel plans… if you were to be in one place for most of the summer, where would that be?

MDV Before this public health crisis, I had many exceptional opportunities for internships as an engineer in new materials, however, the current situation forces me to look for something else… It is going to sound crazy, but this year, I don’t see myself on the beach but in a lab experimenting.

V How would you describe the summer of your dreams?

MDV The summer of my dreams is on a wild and rocky island, where you can both hike and swim. There is no one except me and the ones I love, the sky has no clouds, there is a warm wind… You can feel the nature surrounding you, the island has kindly accepted you on its land.

V What is the ultimate summer song?

MDV: The ultimate summer song is a jazz-swing impro, New Orleans-style, with saxophones, trumpets, a rhythm that can keep you from dancing, smiling, and laughing.

V The public health climate has shaped many peoples’ reading and viewing habits. What are some of the reading or viewing materials you’ve sought out at this time?

MDV During this time, I have realized that I love listening to podcasts, especially philosophical ones, about the future, about acceptance of what life can bring you, about science, art, and God. This is such a great world of philosophy that opened its doors to me.

What’s crazy is that I used to read a lot more than I do during this time… I love to read when I need to escape from the reality of the world; now it’s like I am afraid that I will miss this historical time we are living.

V What is on your summer reading list?

MDV On my summer reading list, there is always a classic that I haven’t read yet L’Ecume des jours by Boris Vian, a crime fiction L’Énigme de la chambre 622, the new Joël Dickers, a scientific book Trous noirs et autres distorsions du temps by Kip S. Thorne and a love story, do you have any recommendations for this one? I am very picky.