I’m not sure what the perfumer originally intended to evoke with this scent but in the light of typical colognes these days I smell a pipe smoking hairy lumberjack. Not a pansy rich polo player with palm olive hands. Kinda makes me wish I was in high school in the early 80s when this was a normal everyday scent. This is definitely a barbershop type fragrance; I’ve used aftershaves which smelled very similar.
I’m just not that great of a fan of the scent – especially in drydown – the tobacco and leather kind of ruin it for me; I would prefer a more natural forest scent. I much prefer Encre Noire by Lalique for example, when it comes to forest-smelling colognes. A classic as other people have stated . My father wore this scent so I have memories associated with polo original.
Today, Polo Ralph Lauren stands as one of the most popular clothing brands in modern fashion. It’s a masterpiece, I love this scent. First time I wore this fragrance about 30 years ago.
This design, emblazoned with the company’s famed logo—that of a polo player, created by tennis pro René Lacoste—became the brand’s signature look. In 1977 Ralph Lauren Corporation introduced a signature cotton mesh polo shirt in various colours, featuring the polo player logo on the chest. Still smells great but unfortunately for me my stepfather still wears this and I have a hard time wearing this and feeling like it’s my own. I only wear this around the house occasionally in the fall and winter months because I love the smell.
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. When it dries down to the its basenotes, the pine gives off a damp sweetness. I never knew anybody in my background polo dress shirts who wore Polo. My only childhood association was a teacher who reminisced that men splashed it on at the gym. I became acquainted with it when I began selling fragrances at a department store and let me tell you, I sold a lot of Polo.