Plutonic Rainbows

Bois Talisman, the latest addition to Christian Dior's La Collection Privée, is a unisex Eau de Parfum crafted by Perfume Creative Director Francis Kurkdjian. This fragrance pays homage to Christian Dior's affinity for lucky charms, blending Kurkdjian's personal superstition of carrying a sugar cube with Dior's tradition of keeping a piece of wood for good fortune. The scent features a harmonious blend of cedarwood and vanilla, with cedarwood providing a warm, woody foundation reminiscent of pencil shavings — a nod to Dior's sketching tools — while the opulent vanilla note is expressed through various extraction methods, including infusion, absolute, and CO2 extract, adding depth and complexity. The result is a warm, creamy perfume that offers a unique olfactory experience, embodying the essence of a personal talisman.

The fragrance opens with a prominent vanilla note that is sweet but not overly so, gradually revealing smoky cedarwood as it develops on the skin. This progression creates a balanced composition that is both comforting and sophisticated. Some reviewers have noted that while the scent is pleasant, it remains relatively linear throughout its wear, with the initial sweetness persisting alongside the woody elements. Despite its simplicity, Bois Talisman has garnered attention for its unique inspiration and the quality of its ingredients, making it a noteworthy addition to Dior's esteemed fragrance collection.

Coming towards the end of January. A cold day with no sunshine at all. It put me in the mood for two films I have never seen.

The first, The Reflecting Skin, is a 1990 coming-of-age horror film written and directed by Philip Ridley, starring Jeremy Cooper, Viggo Mortensen and Lindsay Duncan. Set in 1950s rural Idaho, it follows an impressionable young boy who becomes convinced that a neighbouring widow is a vampire responsible for several unexplained disappearances. Described by Ridley as a “mythical interpretation” of childhood, the film weaves together elements of vampirism, surrealism, black comedy, symbolism and religious zealotry throughout its narrative.

The second movie is Twilight, a 1990 Hungarian black-and-white drama directed by György Fehér. Drawing on elements from Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s novel The Pledge, it follows an ageing detective who becomes fixated on finding the murderer of a young girl in a remote, desolate landscape. The film’s slow, atmospheric style and sparse dialogue emphasise the detective’s mounting obsession, highlighting the moral tensions that arise from his unyielding pursuit of justice.

Minimalist fashion house Jil Sander has launched a new collection of fragrances, which debuted yesterday.

Here’s what the brand has to say:

The first Jil Sander fragrance collection fuses botany and technology in six minimalist, unisex formulas, in which the olfactory marks of aldehydes cut across key natural ingredients, giving every fragrance unique shapes and volumes. The six scents are expressions of a singular note married with aldehydes — where botany and technology meet. True to form, the duo hasn’t just created something for the sake of it: each sits perfectly on its own while complementing the others in the collection.

As for the bottles, they’re impossibly chic glass flacons with a lip around the base and an opaque cloche lid that slides into place with a satisfying click — truly a design feat that elevates the humble fragrance bottle.

DeepSeek, a rising player in AI development, has unveiled a groundbreaking model that is shaking up Silicon Valley. The technology, which reportedly offers unparalleled capabilities in data synthesis and predictive analytics, has left competitors both impressed and unnerved. Its potential to reshape industries such as finance, healthcare, and defence has prompted admiration for its ingenuity but also concerns about ethical implications and regulatory oversight. Executives across the tech world are grappling with the model’s impact, particularly as its proprietary nature raises questions about transparency and the monopolisation of AI advancements.

While DeepSeek’s innovation is lauded as a step forward for AI, it has also triggered debates about fair competition and accountability. Critics warn that the model’s dominance could stifle smaller players and concentrate power in fewer hands. This announcement comes amid growing calls for AI governance to prevent misuse and ensure responsible development. As the industry scrambles to catch up, DeepSeek’s disruptive unveiling is a reminder of the double-edged sword of rapid technological progress.