One of those under the radar men’s fragrances was 1996’s Mark Birley For Men. Composed by Pierre Bourdon and Frederic Malle, Mark Birley for Men was an understated masculine scent which seemed to mirror the name on the bottle. Mark Birley was known for creating the first “members-only” club in London called Annabel’s after his wife. Annabel’s was described as “something that resembled a comfortable Edwardian country house, with plenty of room for dining and a small dance floor tucked away at the back.” This described that first fragrance pretty well, too, with classic notes throughout but with the inclusion of violet, carrot seed, and incense there was a small dance floor tucked away throughout Mark Birley For Men’s development. The only flaw in this fragrance was its longevity and it is my opinion that that lack of longevity is what kept this from becoming a men’s classic. It was always my hope that Mark Birley would take another shot at making a men’s fragrance which would exude the private club kind of elegance where dinner jackets were required of the men. With Mark Birley’s death in 2007 I thought the opportunity had passed with the inspiration.

 

 Then late in 2010 Mark Birley For Men Charles Street was released. Charles Street was the address of his second club, Mark’s Club. There was no mention of the perfumer behind this new fragrance but the note list had a core of coffee, leather and, musk and I thought this just might be the “Edwardian house” Mark Birley’s clubs were supposed to emulate.

Portrait of John Singer Sargent

Charles Street greets you with a rich coffee note and from there you would expect many fragrances to head towards gourmand territory. Instead angelica root adds a light botanical musk along with spicy mace oil. This has the feel of a very masculine opening of strong forceful notes. The heart is rich refined leather; the kind you encounter in men’s clubs everywhere it is the centerpiece of Charles Street and it lasts for quite a while. The base is a real full bore musk echoing the angelica root from the opening and it is slightly sweetened with a soupcon of vanilla. This time the members-only club feel was fully realized in Charles Street.

 

 Mark Birley For Men Charles Street has average longevity, much longer than the original. It also has modest sillage as befits a fragrance that seems to be shooting for an understated elegance.

While I was a big admirer of the first fragrance I think Mark Birley For Men Charles Street does a much better job of capturing what the man who has  the man on the front of the bottle was all about. Charles Street makes me feel as if I’m sitting in a Y-chromosome bastion of elegance sipping a cup of coffee surveying the world from my leather throne. It’s a nice view.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample purchased from Luckyscent.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor