Is that a mammoth tusk or are you just pleased to see me?

Nobody can tell you why woolly mammoths really became extinct. They managed to live through the ice age so they were a fairly hardy bunch. Maybe the world got a bit too hot for them.

Those enormous beasts with their massive teeth and tusks the size of scaffold poles are consigned to history lessons and bit parts in Ice Age the movie. Which is kind of good, because at least we don't have to sidestep rampant woolly mammoths on the commute to work.

But they didn't die in vain, as Dunhill has discovered. The luxury menswear brand has sourced some nomadic herders from Russia who do a neat little sideline in digging up mammoth tusks. Most of the northern hemisphere is evidently littered with them. Being 30,000 year old ivory, they haven't rotted, are officially fossils, and make rather nice toggles.

They make up a small part of Dunhill's new creative director, Kim Jones's forage through the brand's considerable archives to resurrect and refresh some of the more classic forgotten pieces. The autumn winter collection is lined with exotic skins and uber-lux options.

All good for getting the conversation going around the fireplace, and as far as talking points go, having a bit of mammoth dangling off your duffle coat is as good a starter as any, you'll surely agree.

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