The story goes that Billie Holiday once had a hot comb burn a section of her hair backstage, and a fellow singer bought a gardenia from the coat check to cover the spot. She kept wearing the flower. Vogue tells it in 2021, quoting hair historian Ayana Byrd, and it is repeated rather than documented, so hold it lightly. But it explains why a gardenia still feels like a piece of glamour worn on purpose.

That is the mood I get from Gucci Flora perfume. Flora by Gucci first launched in 2009, and in 2012 the house added The Garden flankers, including Gorgeous Gardenia. The bottles carry the Flora print first created by the artist Vittorio Accornero for Gucci in 1966, and I think that is the smartest thing about the line: one flower print, and a different color for each mood. Gorgeous Gardenia relaunched as an Eau de Parfum in 2021 with perfumer Honorine Blanc, and Fragrantica lists pear blossom, red berries and mandarin on top, gardenia, jasmine and frangipani in the heart, and brown sugar and patchouli underneath. That sweet base is what people are really buying.

The trick is to choose by color mood. Start with Gorgeous Gardenia Eau de Parfum, the fruity, sweet one, and its Intense version for a deeper evening wear. Gorgeous Jasmine, with orange and sandalwood, is the cleaner, brighter choice. Gorgeous Magnolia comes in purple, with a dewberry accord and patchouli around the flower, and Gorgeous Orchid is the newest branch of the family. Bloom, with tuberose and jasmine, is for anyone who wants a fuller white floral, in Eau de Parfum, Intense and Parfum versions, the last with vanilla.

One rule for white florals: test them on skin, not on paper. Gardenia, tuberose and jasmine change more on warm skin than almost any other family, and a scent that reads sweet on a strip can turn creamy an hour later.

LoveShackFancy's Forever in Love with green pear and gardenia is the closest cousin to Gorgeous Gardenia, with the same fruit-and-flower idea. By Rosie Jane's JAMES also uses gardenia, and Harlem Perfume Co.'s Sensual Muse pairs gardenia with apricot for a warmer, rounder result. Henry Rose's Flora Carnivora and Kilian Paris's Good Girl Gone Bad bring in tuberose, the loudest flower in the family. Frederic Malle's Eau de Magnolia is the quiet, elegant one.

Rabanne's Million Gold for Her adds musk to its white florals, and Marc Jacobs' Daisy Eau de Toilette is the easygoing one with sandalwood. Daisy is what I would give a friend who says she does not like perfume.

A pairing I like: a tuberose bottle for evenings and a lighter gardenia for the day, so the two never compete.

What I would skip: a heavy tuberose on a closed, warm dinner table. It will be too much for everyone sitting near you.

Start by deciding whether you want your jasmine airy or indulgent. Once you know that, the shelf sorts itself, and you stop smelling everything twice.

For airy, Chloé's Love Story pairs jasmine with cedarwood, and Dolce&Gabbana's Dolce Blue Jasmine brings fig and cedarwood. Moroccanoil's Lumière du Jour puts fig leaf and blonde woods around the jasmine, which makes it feel like a summer afternoon. Anecdotes by Artists' Painted Petals adds strawberry and reads as playful.

For indulgent, Carolina Herrera's Good Girl Jasmine Absolute is the deep, rich take, and Marc Jacobs' Perfect Intense pairs jasmine with sandalwood. Harlem Perfume Co.'s Showgirl adds mandarin, and Rabanne's Fame Parfum brings patchouli, a bolder and more colorful choice.

A pairing I like: Gucci's Gorgeous Jasmine for the day and one of the richer ones after dark. Same flower, two moods. Wear the lighter one to work and keep the richer one for a dinner where nobody has to sit next to you for very long.

What I would skip: a rich jasmine in a small, hot room. It builds quickly, and you will notice it before anyone else does.

A habit worth borrowing: put a scented lotion on damp skin after your shower, then spray the matching perfume on top. Scent lasts longer on moisturized skin, and layering is the easiest way to make a bottle feel like yours.

Byredo's Blanche Body Mist and Blanche Body Lotion are a matched pair, as are Rose of No Man's Land Body Mist and Body Lotion. The mist is for a quick refresh through the day and the lotion is for the first layer. Sol de Janeiro's Refresco Paraíso is a fresh, watery floral mist, the light one for a hot week. Nature of Things' Restorative Floral Body Lotion is the plain, calm one. Dior's Miss Dior Body Oil and J'adore Les Adorables Body Cream are the richer choices for an evening.

A pairing I like: a Byredo Blanche lotion under a white floral like Gorgeous Gardenia, which keeps the scent soft instead of loud.

What I would skip: layering three different scents on the same afternoon. Pick one family and keep it simple. A single flower, in a mist, a lotion and a perfume, will always read as more considered than a mix of five.

I think Gucci Flora is best chosen by mood, not by note lists. If you want sweet and sunny, take the Gardenia. If you want brighter and cleaner, take the Jasmine. Test each on skin, wear one for a full day, and only then decide. If you cannot choose, start with the color you would most like to see on your dresser.

Billie Holiday wore one flower and made it hers. Pick one bottle, wear it on the days that matter, and let it become the thing people remember about you when you leave the room. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Gucci Bloom Perfume and the Tuberose Florals Like It and Gucci Perfume, Starting From a Scarf Made for Grace Kelly.