Today it is tough to find a fragrance today that will actually last the whole day. There’s nothing that compares to this 80s powerhouse. And this will last all day into the next day. The sillage and longevity of this beast are the best that I have. Herbal tobacco with some leather and a some fresh fruitiness. I normally don´t like leather, but it´s not too much in this one.
This is the gold standard when it comes to masculine smelling men’s fragrances. What I get initially is pine needles and the general smell of being outdoors in the country. When it dries down I detect notes of ashy-smoke and leather, with the pine needles becoming part of the background. The top and middle have a somewhat dry chypre vibe. It’s a bit dirty at this point but that’s part of its appeal and what gives it character. It’s simultaneously rugged and classy.
This bottle and scent helped shape me as a man. It made me want more out of my life. 30 years later and I’m still chasing that feeling I get when I think of the old Ralph Lauren stores, the ads, Ralph’s homes, etc. A mystical blast of tobacco, peanut and turnip, “Polo for Men” is the ultimate “look inside my pants” fragrance. I moisten squares of toilet paper with it before wiping my bottom, because you never can be too cautious. It is a projection beast that has received celebrity endorsements from the likes of Don Knotts, Burt Ward and Meredith Baxter Birney.
It smells like the leather jacket of a man who chain smokes cigars, rides his horse through the woods to his house where he cooks middle eastern cuisine over an open fire. And it lasts ALL DAY LONG. If it were toned down a little, and mixed with a little more of the floral, I’d probably really enjoy it. Polo lent an air of legitimacy to American made fragrance releases and reasserted it with its clothing line. A truly American original that put American fragrances on the same par with European colognes and re-defined the barriers of the industry. The original Polo has been my father’s signature and preferred scent since its original launch when he was a teenager! Since I was a small child I loved the smell because it IS my daddy.
this stuff is much more powerful and smells more natural than the present day Polo. Just got a 2.0 oz splash bottle of the Cosmair version of After Shave. It smells exactly what I remember back in the day, but the silage is only several hours if that, not quite as long as the the EDT. What I really would like to know is in what respects does the “Modern Reserve” differ to the “After Shave” splash on, and the “EDT”? I think this fragrance is genius, and, smelled without any period associations, is an amazing, unique smell. Conifers and forests, Scottish heather and golf courses.
Need to reapply 4-5 times through the day. A very manly scent with hints tobacco, I don’t think this would ever go out of fashion, it was Lauren at his best. It’s also a quite aggressive scent so if someone around you doesn’t like it you’re very likely to annoy people wearing this. It’s not outdated in the Polo Ralph Lauren t shirt sense that an older person (I’m 32) could wear it better. It’s outdated in the sense that it smells like something that belongs to a specific era and that’s really not compatible with the contemporary taste. I can imagine men of my age and even younger wearing this really well back in the 80s, but not now.
It’s not exact but the dominant notes are there. I love this perfume but i did not buy because of poor longevity , surprisingly I found a matching Attar from my local store and that has crazy longevity . My Mrs hates it but I keep going back to it for more. Not an everyday one for me it has a time and place and will last me for ages. I don’t think anybody will think you smell good.
For me, the deal breaker is the strong element of pine. The pine-green color of the bottle is telling. Coudn’t do it as a kid smelling this and can’t do it now. The opening is very, very strong and a little offensive, but it does dry down into something decent. Now, I’m willing to endure a bit, just a bit, of a stinky opening for a good middle and closing act.