Derby
Milano Fragranze

This didn't quite meet my expectations. It's not that it isn't attractive, but it just seems a bit hollow, with very little to ground it. I saw that galbanum was listed, and having a voracious appetite for the mean green, I wanted there to be a bit more of that viridescent presence, but the opening is rather muted. There is a pleasant, polleny mimosa accord, and this stage seemed the most promising: it feels pastoral in feel, and granular to the nose.

Suggestions of new mown hay, green wheat, and wild grasses follow, but it's so gossamer, I must really bring my nares close to the skin to experience it. I feel like even a more nuanced style such as this can do more than just a muffled susurration. I don't expect, nor do I frankly want, rustic woody florals to be gregarious, but this is just too mild. It's really such a shame, as it has so much potential. It does make me want to reach for Lorenzo Villoresi's brilliant Yerbamate or Dusita's Erawan instead, as they fulfill in a way that this sadly cannot.

Civilized and sweetish green, with none of the bracing bitterness that one expects from the listed galbanum. Whether this brings to mind a wind-swept derby day, I’m not so sure, but, hey, they gotta give these things names. It is totally blended so no individual notes jump out just an impression of something vaguely herbal, vaguely floral and sweet green ears of wheat for a while. Inoffensive; file under ‘boring but friendly’; and pretty much nothing much of anything after the first hour.

Milano Fragranze Derby is a spicy, semi-herbal, semi-fresh blend that has an immediately classic vibe, inspired by a horse race course, consisting of resins, sharp florals (lavender, violet), patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, and oakmoss. It definitely has the “late 20th century men’s signature scent” concept and does it quite effectively, and in a way that is fairly unique, not resembling another specific scent that I can recall, while nonetheless feeling a part of a grander tradition, rendering it a bit relatable despite its own character. It manages to achieve a spicy concept without using any spices per se, either, furthering sort of lavender-first fougere idea, and it walks the lien effectively between being a bit provocative and also being comforting, familiar, and somewhat easy to wear. The rather loud opening settles down quite a lot within an hour, and it’s a scent I meant even wear on a summer night, just perhaps not a summer day.

Overall, it’s an instant love, and I’m very impressed. Of the four I’ve tried, Derby and Basilica are my favorites. Derby, like the rest of the line, is priced at $135 for 100ml, in EDP concentration, a very reasonable price in the current market, and is sold at great boutiques like Perfumology that also sell the Masque Milano line.

8 out of 10