When I saw the list of ingredients for Juicy Couture’s new men’s fragrance, Dirty English — peppered mandarin, blue cypress, Calabrian bergamot, caraway, cardamom pods, marjoram, black leather, “Santal Fatal” accord (a mix of sandalwood, Atlas cedar and vetiver), agarwood, ebony wood, black moss absolute, and amber musk — my first thought was: “Why this dark, heavy scent now…so close to spring?” By late February, I’m yearning for crisp-bright scents, perfumes with lots of citrus, floral, fruit and ‘green’ accords. I needn’t have worried; though Dirty English’s mix of notes sounds hot’n’heavy, the cologne is light enough to be worn in spring, even summer.
Dirty English starts off with the aromas of smooth citrus-y leather and cypress, and mellow caraway and marjoram. I was hoping Dirty English would provide rude blasts of the promised black leather, black moss (surely this note would be weird and musty?) and agarwood, but Dirty English is a well-mannered, well-blended scent and I don’t smell anything out of the ordinary. (I’ve tried to detect the “Santal Fatal” accord but I smell only cedar, cedar, and more cedar.) Near the end of Dirty English’s development, agarwood does make an appearance, as does an overused fragrance note of late: satiny, vanillic ‘amber musk’. Dirty English is a mid-strength, sweet, wood scent and as I wore it I was reminded of (a milder) Yves Saint Laurent M7, (a sweeter) Gucci Pour Homme and (a cleaner) Tom Ford for Men.
I have no idea what the term ‘Dirty English’ denotes. I’ve looked at Juicy Couture products bearing the name (I like the Dirty English bulldog T-shirts) and assume the Dirty English clothing line is casual wear aimed at young men. I can say with assurance there is nothing “dirty” about Dirty English for Men Eau de Toilette. The cologne is described by Juicy Couture as “outrageously sexy”, “mysterious” and “magnetic.” I would describe it as “nice”…and tame. If you’re an old hand, or should I say an old nose, at perfumery, you’ve smelled many scents like Dirty English. Perhaps Dirty English is being marketed towards 20-something men who are moving away from the dated, rather simple-scented, ozonic perfumes of the past 10 years? (Starting last autumn, I’ve noticed that “fresh” ozonic men’s fragrances are not the norm anymore in new mainstream releases.) I do like Dirty English and would be happy to smell it on others or to wear it myself — but probably only if someone gave me a bottle; Dirty English has decent lasting power and non-annoying sillage.
Juicy Couture Dirty English was developed by perfumer Claude Dir. During its early release, scheduled for March, Dirty English will be a Bloomingdale’s exclusive. As of this posting, the scent has not been widely advertised and it is not for sale on the Bloomingdale’s retail website.
Update: Juicy Couture Dirty English will be available in 50 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette and in matching grooming products, including De-Funk Deodorant and Up With a Twist shower gel. (via Women's Wear Daily)