Ralph Lauren Does Parko And Malia Manuel!

Oh, how non-endemic brands love to awkwardly dip their toes in surf’s shallow end. 

Since The Culture’s ’60s boom, surfers have both willingly and unwillingly whored themselves out to the highest bidder for all sorts of silly brands (see: Kelly Slater For Pottery Barn Kids), so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see the well-heeled equestrian enthusiasts over at Polo/Ralph Lauren, drawing upon ocean influence. For their new campaign pushing the brand’s newly updated “iconic” #PoloUltraBlue*,  Ralph Lauren tapped Joel Parkinson and Malia Manuel for commercial starring roles, which you can see above and below. 

The commercials are ambiguous little numbers, and do little to give the viewer a sense of just, what, exactly Ultra Blue smells like. According to the producers of the most wonderfully purple prose in copywriting, Macy’s claims the fragrance “evokes the cool, crisp feeling of the sea.” It possesses “top notes of Cedrat Lemon, Bergamot, Basil Verbena”; “mid notes of Artical and Ambertonic”; and “base notes of Salty Mineral Accord.” The “long-lasting scent embodies ultimate freshness for the sporting gentleman.” 

According to GQ, who included Ultra Blue in their favorite fragrances of 2018, “The iconic Polo Blue Scent has been given a makeover for the season. With blends of citrus and salt, this new fragrance is fresh yet masculine and above all is ultra-long-lasting. A couple of sprays in the morning will see you from the daytime barbecue to sundowners and beyond.”

God, we can’t wait to breathe deeply around both of those two beauties come Hawaii.  

*It’s truly remarkable how many online reviews there are for the fragrance: