Daria Werbowy's latest campaign is here: a stark series of images for Balenciaga's spring/summer collection, in which white hair and dark lipstick make her unforgettable face even more striking.

Season after season we find ourselves having the same conversation about Werbowy: just what is it about her that we find so magnetic? Though that almond-eyed, feline face plays a large part, it's not just her looks; there's something about her personality that's endlessly fascinating.

Her imagined personality that is. Because like many of the most memorable models before her, Werbowy has mastered the art of giving away only the most intriguing snippets about who she really is. She won't reveal the identity of her boyfriend and regularly takes long breaks from modelling, during which she seems to disappear. She told Harper's Bazaar that she'd had to join Instagram to appease her family, who never knew where in the world she might be.

Even Alexander Wang acknowledges that there's something enigmatic about her; in reference to the new Balenciaga images, he said, 'I wanted to convey a sense of strength and knowingness. Daria is definitely not naïve.'

The few things we do know about Werbowy paint a portrait of a woman who is bold, adventurous and in control of her career. We'll never look like her, but at least we can get inspired by her example. Below, we break down the seven reasons why Werbowy is the coolest girl in modelling. 

1. She lives in West Cork.

Werbowy doesn't spend her downtime following the latest fads in Los Angeles. She lives in ruggedly beautiful West Cork, where, she told Vogue, 'the smell of cowshit hits you as soon as you step off the plane'. She grew up in Canada and is most comfortable in the great outdoors, sailing, surfing and hiking. Though we've never seen her at home in Ireland, we'd like to imagine her life looks a bit like her Vogue​ shoot with Adam Driver.

2. Her boyfriend is a carpenter.

You know, like Aidan in Sex and the City. Or Jesus. Look, everyone knows 'carpenter' is the sexiest job title.

3. She picks and chooses her work.

Werbowy is famously choosy about what she does, and the brands she works for (Isabel Marant, Céline, Mango, Balenciaga) are honoured to have her. She's the master of Hard to Get. Kate Phelan once described her as 'the reluctant model', adding, 'She's exclusive and elusive. And she has more power over her career than most other models because everyone fears her walking away.'

4. She's adventurous.

She spent two and a half months travelling around India, spending several weeks of that on a motorbike. She's also done some serious sailing, including one trip across the Atlantic and another two-month expedition from Guatemala to Costa Rica.

5. She was named one of American Vogue's 'Models of the Moment' in September 2004...

...and is still at the top of her game almost a decade later. In 2011, Forbes named her one of the top-earning models in the world. Alongside this season's Balenciaga campaign, she's also in ads for Céline, Mango and Salvatore Ferragamo – with another Isabel Marant campaign sure to follow.

6. She's intelligent and articulate.

'I am very lucid in relation to the reality of this industry, the ephemeral nature of beauty and fame, and that gives me a certain distance and quite a bit of humour,' she told the Telegraph in 2009.

Her thoughts about the industry led her to dramatically cut back on work in 2008, citing exhaustion and stress. 'We're completely bombarded by image, and what kind of life we're supposed to have, and what kind of people we're supposed to be,' she told Vogue. 'People are always trying to fit us into boxes, and say, she's this kind of girl or she's that kind of girl. I think I was feeling that very acutely.'

7. And last but not least, she was Never Underdressed's first beauty model.

When we launched in May 2013, Werbowy starred in our first beauty shoot, filmed on a New York rooftop. See, we told you she was choosy.