The term ‘celebrity fragrance’ leaves a bad smell. What was once the sole preserve of Hollywood’s A-list has become an exercise for anyone remotely famous (or infamous) to put out something licensed and smelly – your Geordie Shore cast, sex tape connoisseurs, I’m Not A Celebrity, Get Me Off Your TV Screen and the like.
It’s easy to turn your nose up and sniff at the heavily discounted celebrity scents behind the till, but know that they equate to around 4 per cent of the global fragrance industry – or a cool $1.8bn, according to Yahoo Finance. Not all celebrity scents are created equal, either. Some are bad. Really bad. Others, however, have won awards for olfactory excellence that are usually reserved for the Chanels and Pradas of the world.
So in a bid to give credit where credit’s due, we’ve ranked some of the most well-known male celebrity fragrances, from those that belong in your bathroom cabinet to those that should go in the bin.

Sean John, Unforgivable
Unforgivable – a term that is both the name of Sean John’s 2006 fragrance, and a useful description of its god-awful marketing campaign. But despite reductive ads featuring P Diddy himself sans clothing in bed with another hip-hop honey, the scent itself is considerably more tasteful with fresh marine notes compacted with unexpected rum and birch leaf. It’s complex and seductive, and frankly nothing like what you’d expect.
It won men’s luxury fragrance of the year in 2007 at the industry’s influential FiFi Awards, and it’s still worthy of the honour today. That said, it doesn’t give you free licence to emulate Diddy’s wardrobe, too.
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David Beckham, Beyond
Fragrance was the final frontier for David Beckham. After a string of abysmal scents (sorry, Dave), the release of 2015’s Beyond signalled a complete 180 to fall in line with the rest of Brand Beckham. No frighteningly gauche crown motifs, no Vegas-style gold bottles; just a fragrance that packs mojito chords with warm tones of patchouli and vanilla.
An everyday fragrance with a rare, everyday price tag.
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Bruce Willis, Personal Edition
There was no need for Bruce Willis to release a fragrance. He’s neither a style icon nor the type of Hollywood celebrity men aspire to be. Famous, yes. Rock hard, certainly. But red carpet style maven? No.
That said, his Personal Edition fragrance was a pleasant surprise, marrying citrus notes with tobacco and leather for a scent that smells suspiciously like Creed’s Aventus. Wholly unnecessary, but appreciated nonetheless.
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Antonio Banderas, Blue Seduction
Antonio Banderas was last cool when he played an animated Puss In Boots in Shrek. That’s not the best foundation on which to sell something as image-dependant as a men’s fragrance, but this is surprisingly safe ground for an everyday summer fragrance.
Blue Seduction (awful name, just awful) blends melon and mint to surprisingly good effect. It’s not the longest-lasting scent but considering the price, it’s a handy warm-weather spritz.
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Pitbull, Miami Man
Yes, we’re aware Pitbull is responsible for some of history’s most woeful lyrics (“I saw, I conquered, I came,” stands out, for example), but Miami Man smells much better than the rapper sounds.
The blend of grapefruit and pink pepper is lighter than the norm, enveloping masculine musk and amber base notes to ground the cologne as a genuinely classy nocturnal scent. As in, one you can wear outside of nightclubs with ‘NO SPORTSWEAR, FREE CHAMPAGNE FOR THE LADIES’ written on the door.
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James Bond 007
James Bond may be cool, but fawning over a fictional character to the point that you want to smell like him is just plain sad. If you can park the toe-curling “dangerously sophisticated” marketing campaign, however, the scent itself is a long-lasting, fresh combination of lavender and moss.
The worst you could say about it is that it’s a little unremarkable. Though what else can you expect from a fragrance that’s more a marketing gimmick than a bona fide cologne?
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The Only Way Is Essex, Be Reem
The only thing more vapid and soulless than a bunch of unenlightened apes on ITVBe is a generic fragrance designed by nobody in particular stamped with promotional shots of said apes. Be Reem is everything you’d expect and more: sweet, pungent liquid that isn’t fit to freshen up your kitchen bin.
If the only way is Essex, it’s also the same path that leads straight to the ninth circle of hell.
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Cristiano Ronaldo, Legacy
Ever wondered what wet look gel and rampant spornosexuality smells like? Well, ponder no more. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Legacy is said to be the Portuguese striker’s signature scent, melding overly rich cedar and rosemary for a cologne pungent enough to knock out a national team (and its under 21s).
Best paired with a high-gloss puffer jacket and Eurovision party.
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Peter Andre, Conditional
Despite the name, Peter Andre’s Conditional is surprisingly lax on the prerequisites: you need no taste, and little self-respect. Even for a fragrance under £20, the heady mix of cashmere, nutmeg and vanilla is far too sickly to be a serious cologne – the olfactory equivalent of a bad fake tan.
Let your nan use it as an air freshener.
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Jay Z, Gold
For the Carter-Knowles family, no dollar bill is left unturned. That includes the world of fragrance. As a mere way to boost the Benjamins, Jay Z released 2013’s Gold to unanimous scorn. The sickly sweet cologne was once compared to blueberry muffins, while a lack of promotion (Jiggaman didn’t even bother to wear his own product) resulted in a $20m lawsuit by the fragrance company behind it. Money really ain’t a thang after all.
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Donald Trump, Empire
Kicking off a presidential campaign with a namesake fragrance reeks. Bigly. Donald Trump’s Empire is but another PR exercise from the commander-in-spin, with the scent itself almost a direct Carolina Herrera rip-off.
Factor in the unassuming bottle and GCSE graphic design packaging, and you’re left with a fragrance that fails to get any votes from us.
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It’s officially layering season, when we’re all exposed to cataclysmic changes in temperature every half an hour and battles over office thermostats turn deadly. It’s at this time of year when you have to deploy your most cunning fashion moves, creating coordinated outfits with more layers than an emotionally intelligent onion.
Of all the layering pieces you own, your selection of jackets will be the most versatile. They can work as your outermost armour when the weather is so balmy that you don’t need much underneath but they also slot in-between your tees and top coats when more layers are called for.
Here’s how to get even more wear from every cool jacket hanging in your wardrobe.

Chore Coat
Stan Ray
Few jackets can be worn in quite as many ways as the chore coat. Usually unlined and in a hard-wearing fabric such as cotton drill or moleskin, it’s ideal for a range of casual looks from all-out workwear through to off-duty tailoring.
It can also be layered under a heavier garment, or over something lighter such as knitwear or a gilet. Due to its boxy cut it can easily accommodate a chunky roll neck underneath, or an equally functional utility vest if you want to maximise the pockets available to you.
Try going full early-20th-century-factory-worker and pairing yours with cotton work trousers, complete with double-stitched pockets and wide cut for ultimate comfort. Underneath go for a zip-through waistcoat in seasonally appropriate tartan fleece, which’ll both keep you warm and add a welcome pop of colour.

– Charlie Thomas, senior editor
Trucker Jacket
Gap
The hardy perennial of casual dressing, the trucker jacket thrives out in the open all year long. It sits atop tees and shirts during the warmer months but really shows what it can do with autumn and winter layering.
When it’s cold outside, the most obvious way to wear a denim jacket is over a sweatshirt, fisherman knit or hoodie, trapping the heat from your knitwear. The look works with chinos but for best results lean into the style’s workwear origins and go double-denim.
If you want to mess with convention, however, wear your trucker jacket as a mid-layer instead. Buttoned up under a boxy mac or spacious overcoat, the effect is unexpectedly pleasing on the eye and it lets you mix fabrics while you’re at it – a key skill in any layering game.
– Ian Taylor, editor-in-chief

Windstopper
Belstaff
Wind-stoppers stop wind – it’s in the name. But the lack of padding isn’t exactly designed to keep you snug underneath. That’s where it’s useful to pull them into a layered look, with a mighty padded coat over the top, bringing the heat and sucking you into a duvet in which you can spend your winter days.
An arctic parka will fit the outerwear vibe, preferably one in a versatile black or navy. That way you can experiment with your wind-stopper colour underneath. Pick one without a hood, or at least a detachable one. The thicker material on your parka will make for a better hood, and having two hoods flying behind you can be annoying.
Keep the outerwear vibes running downstairs with a pair of on-trend and hard-wearing cargo trousers, and some similarly en vogue hiking boots. With the outdoors look so popular at the moment, it would be rude not to.
– Richard Jones, staff writer

Overshirt
The overshirt can be treated in a similar way to the chore jacket in that it can worn in a hundred different ways. Open over a T-shirt, buttoned up under an overcoat, or even worn over a lighter shirt, it’s the utility player capable of doing it all.
The latter option may be the easiest way to layer on this entire list, but there are some tricks to it. First of all, the overshirt needs to have a slightly boxy, almost oversized cut, which will allow it to be worn over another shirt. Secondly, pay attention to fabric. The overshirt should be made from a heavier weight fabric than the shirt worn underneath to differentiate the two – think cotton drill or canvas.
For ultimate layering points though, wear both shirts under a proper coat. As an overshirt is nearly always unlined it will sit well under a parka or unstructured overcoat, offering not just extra insulation but extra storage in the form of chest pockets, too.
– Charlie Thomas, senior editor
Zara

Padded Gilet
Reiss
The gilet has to be a bit of a one-off in men’s fashion, in that it’s as popular with bankers and political strategists as it is with anarchists and warcore fans. Granted, these somewhat divergent style tribes have their own ways of wearing them, but what they all agree on is that it’s a supremely snug and practical layer.
At the smarter end of things, the idea is a simple one: you make your tailoring a little toastier for the commute by slipping the gilet under your blazer or overcoat, giving your outfit a pleasing high-low quality in the process. Then you take it off again when you get to the corner office.
In more casual circles, where traditional outdoor performance gear is fast becoming must-have fashion, the look is all about techwear. Combine your gilet or vest with thermal tops and waterproof outerwear that could see off an Icelandic winter, even if you don’t intend to leave the city. Look for dramatic silhouettes and keep the palette muted – all-black ninja chic is preferable.
– Ian Taylor, editor-in-chief

Wax Jacket
Belstaff
No jacket has more of an association with the British countryside and the bitter weather that dwells on our rolling hills, than the waxed jacket.
It’s hard therefore to take it away from the very British farmer’s uniform. We’d avoid the flat caps and walking stick – too much like a costume for its own good – but instead plump for a modern smart-casual wardrobe of turtlenecks, fine knitwear and crisp, cotton button-downs underneath.
Swap in a subtle graphic sweatshirt for your regular wool jumper for a sportier, streetwear vibe while still maintaining a degree of smartness. On your feet, ditch the wellies, and instead pick up a pair of chunky leather boots with a stand-out sole – they’re this season’s must-have and can be smartened up or down depending on your ‘fit .
It’s not too much of a drastic change from the farmer’s uniform sure – but we’re not trying to overhaul the formula here; merely updating it.
– Richard Jones, staff writer

Bomber Jacket
Reiss
Bomber jackets come in a wide range of styles, from World War I-style leather pieces through to ‘60s jet-era MA-1s made from nylon. Unless you’re going for a period look or want to incorporate vintage clothing into your wardrobe, it’s best to look for aviator-style jackets, which are inspired by these historic styles but feature updated details and more modern fits.
Look for styles based on the MA-1 bomber but with a more minimal design, which makes them far easier to layer. Ideally, you don’t want the traditional arm pocket, wide cut and interior wadding, just a well-cut jacket that sits much closer to the body and will rest under a larger jacket with ease.
A bomber such as this is ideal for placing under a longer overcoat or raglan-sleeve raincoat. Keep the tones of both dark and simply remove the coat when indoors for a classic look inspired by the menswear heroes of yesteryear.
– Charlie Thomas, senior editor

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