He might be the ultimate successful boomer. Polo is heavily hit by counterfeiters. I recently bought a 4 oz bottle from Gilbcol-96 for less than $40 USD.
It can be worn by anyone who can carry off the masculine feel. Because I had smelled this before and didn’t realize I would recognize it, my first recent application felt like surrealistic time traveling to childhood. Even though newer versions are weaker, the rich leathery pine smell is still classic and classy.
I prefer the modern, toned down, version. I remember back in the 80’s and 90’s that I wouldn’t buy a bottle because it was too intense, too much sillage. It was easy to overdo it and end up offending people. I loved the smell then, but I was never bold enough to buy a bottle. Made from soft cotton jersey, this comfortable sleep shirt is styled with a “Polo RL-67” print along the left side. The watch features a large 42mm case, but it’s made from titanium, which should help it feel light and unencumbered on the wrist.
Initially it’s a blast of pine, but that passes quickly, and then it’s straight up tobacco (to my nose, the wife says “pine”). I didn’t care for it at first, but with each Polo Ralph Lauren t shirt successive wear, it’s wearing me down. I now find it intriguing and want to get to know it better. One spritz of this to the neck/chest lasts for a very long time.
I will, however, note that this isn’t a safe blind buy. It is a scent that will fit the person and by that I mean it has an aura people are either extremely fond of, or shy away from. I say this because I wear this daily and a friend wanted it after smelling it on me.
Hopefully, it will stay around for a long, long time. Workplaces and society in general are less tolerant of fragrances than they used to be. It has impacted Polo’s wearability in 2019, and you don’t smell it as much as you used to. Supposedly, it’s been reformulated to reflect this and I’ve read that a lot of men prefer the vintage Cosmair formula to today’s version.
Once he purchased his own and started to use it, he just didn’t like it as much. Smelling this for the first time was like meeting someone and feeling you had known them your whole life. This resonated with me far more than any other fragrance and I now have almost 50. This is No.1 and only the original Givenchy Gentleman comes remotely close. Givenchy Gentleman got me into fragrance collecting, but Polo has turned me into a fragrance youtuber.
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. Although the opening is quite hard to handle for me, the heart notes and the base notes are a delight. 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.