I’m apprehensive about bashing this one (but I will- it’s forthcoming) because it’s such a well loved classic. It comes from a different era when fragrances were bolder polo dress shirts and you got more bang for your buck. But I gotta tell ya, this stuff is polarizing! You’re either gonna love it or hate it. some moss and very little leather.
Polo by Ralph Lauren is a Woody Chypre fragrance for men. The nose behind this fragrance is Carlos Benaim. Ralph Lauren Corporation is the exclusive Official Parade Outfitter for the U.S.
I thought this might be one of those frags that I would take some time to enjoy, but I actually love this one on my initial testing. I haven’t worn it, but usually on skin, fragrances are even better so I’m gonna go ahead and say that I love it. Very masculine and, now, it’s great value. Make no mistake, this is a real gem. It is one of my favorites, and what I think of when I heard the term cologne.
It’s simultaneously rugged and classy. When it dries down to the its basenotes, the pine gives off a damp sweetness. Been wearing this fragrance polo dress shirts for 20 years now and will always have a bottle in my collection. Absolute classic real mans fragrance strong and masculine love it.
Somehow it smells substantial and dignified, but not in a lax way. The activity is there, but it is rooted. This is for a man who is clean shaven and dresses smart, but isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty — in a word, your archetypal 70’s New York detective.
By 1969, the Manhattan department store Bloomingdale’s sold Lauren’s men line exclusively. It was the first time that Bloomingdale’s had given a designer his own in-store shop. In 1971, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched a line of tailored shirts for women, which introduced the Polo player emblem, appearing on the shirt cuff.
The bottle I have is recent and superb. Let me put it this way, if it is reformulated just think of it as a new perfume and it would stand head and shoulders above any new release or any of the new Tom Ford Fougeres. I keep it because I love the bottle and the memories, but I wouldn’t (and couldn’t) wear it anymore. The dry-down maintains the green, woody vibe, and the patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, leather and tobacco keep it dark and mature.
Who could have imagined that a lighthearted bet would morph into a men’s classic? In 1977, a young Ralph Lauren was challenged by his sensei, Lei Kazuma Kiryuu, to produce a fragrance that would transport the wearer to the men’s room of a Shaolin temple. Lauren reportedly laughed off the idea, but eventually bet Kiryuu a sack of turnips that he could do just that.
It’s a masterpiece, I love this scent. First time I wore this fragrance about 30 years ago. It opens with green strong notes after 3 hours, it changes like leather and dry tobacco. Polo green is one of the best fragrance in my collection. 1972 marked the opening of Ralph Lauren’s store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, his first freestanding store.