In 1882, in Paris, a perfumer named Paul Parquet made Fougère Royale for the house of Houbigant. It gave a name to a whole family of men's fragrance, built around lavender and coumarin from tonka, and it is the reason a sharp, clean, slightly herbal scent still feels like the way a well-dressed man ought to smell. Nearly a century and a half later, that family is the backbone of a cologne from a man who made women's shoes.

That cologne is Jimmy Choo Man, and I think it makes a good case for Jimmy Choo cologne as a whole. The house was founded in London in 1996 by Professor Jimmy Choo OBE and Tamara Yeardye, now Mellon, a former Vogue accessories editor, with Sandra Choi joining as a founding director. Man came out in 2014, the label's first fragrance for men. Its retail description calls it a powerfully fresh and modern fougère, with lavender, pink pepper and patchouli, and Fragrantica credits perfumer Anne Flipo, with honeydew melon and pineapple leaf on the sweet side and suede in the base.

The trick is to choose by season. Start with Man Eau de Toilette, the original and the easy office one. Man Aqua is the one whose name points at summer, and Man Intense Eau de Toilette turns it up for dinner, with mandarin, melon and lavender on top and patchouli and tonka underneath. Man Parfum is the richest of the family, and Man Extreme Eau de Parfum sits at the bold end. Outside the house, Dolce&Gabbana's Light Blue Pour Homme Eau de Parfum, Burberry Hero and Montblanc Legend are the fresh partners to hold against it on a strip.

Here is how I would choose between designer colognes: hold two on paper strips, one in each hand, and pick the one you still want to smell an hour later. Ignore the bottle. Ignore the campaign.

A useful thread here is lavender, the same fougère backbone Jimmy Choo Man leans on. Yves Saint Laurent's Y Eau de Toilette comes with fresh lavender and geranium, and Y Le Parfum swaps in cedarwood and lavender for a deeper mood. Dolce&Gabbana's K is lavender led, and The One For Men adds sandalwood. Burberry's London Eau de Toilette is the softer, more tailored one.

Then the louder side of the shelf. Jean Paul Gaultier's Pride Le Male Eau de Toilette is a limited edition, the collector's bottle. Gucci's Guilty Love Edition Pour Homme Eau de Parfum and Rabanne's Invictus Parfum are the ones for a night out, where someone will lean in and ask what it is.

A pairing I like: a fresh lavender cologne through the week, and one of the bolder bottles kept for Saturday. A man does not need six, but two with different jobs is sensible.

What I would skip: testing more than three on skin in one afternoon. Your nose gets tired, and everything starts smelling the same.

Start with a rule for a daily cologne: two sprays, one on the chest and one on the neck, then leave it alone. Fresh scents are meant to be noticed at arm's length, not across a room.

Dior's Sauvage Eau de Toilette and Chanel's Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum are the two almost everyone has smelled, which is exactly why some men skip them. I think the better choice is whichever one you actually finish. Montblanc's Explorer Eau de Parfum and Versace's Pour Homme Dylan Blue Eau de Toilette are the friendly middle, easy to like and hard to get wrong. Carolina Herrera's Bad Boy Cobalt is the one for warm evenings, and Yves Saint Laurent's MYSLF Eau de Toilette Intense is a step up in weight for cooler days.

Coach's For Men Eau de Toilette is the plainest of the group, a clean scent for the gym bag or the desk drawer. Dior's Homme Sport is the lighter one, made for being active.

A pairing I like: match the cologne to the dress code. A Jimmy Choo Man on a suit day, a Sport on a weekend.

What I would skip: an intense, heavy bottle on a hot, crowded commute. Save it for the evening.

Try this order: prepare, shave, soothe, then scent last. Cologne on freshly shaved skin stings, so let a balm do its job for a couple of minutes first.

For the shave, Jack Black's Beard Lube Conditioning Shave gives the blade something to glide on, and Dr. Squatch's Easy Glide Shave Butter does the same job in a thicker, creamier way. For after, Dr. Squatch's Soothing Post Shave and Jack Black's Post Shave Cooling Gel are the calming ones. Dior's Sauvage After Shave Balm carries the fragrance with it, so match it to your cologne or leave the cologne off. Aesop's Deodorant is the quiet one, with an herbal scent that will not compete with whatever you spray on top.

Jack Black's Pit Boss Antiperspirant & Deodorant and Hugo Boss's Bottled Beyond Deodorant Stick for Him are the quiet ones for the underarm, and the fragrance-lover's rule is to keep the deodorant mild so it does not fight the bottle.

A pairing I like: the Sauvage balm with Sauvage, obviously, or an unscented gel with any cologne you love.

What I would skip: a strongly scented balm together with a strongly scented cologne. They will argue on your neck all day.

I think Jimmy Choo Man is the sensible way into the family: fresh, a little sweet, and not trying to shout. If summer is your season, add Aqua. If you want dinner-ready, try Intense or Extreme. Keep a mild deodorant and a calming balm on the shelf, and let the cologne be the last step every morning, never the first.

Paul Parquet gave lavender a job in 1882. Well over a century later, it is still working, and it suits a man who would rather be well groomed than loud.

Jimmy Choo Man gave me a sensible way into the family, and these are the bottles I would line up beside it for different moods. Chanel Allure Homme comes as an Eau de Toilette and an All-Over Spray, which is useful if you like to layer. For a night out, I would try Gucci Guilty Absolu, BVLGARI Man in Black and Yves Saint Laurent L'Homme Le Parfum. For daytime, the Dior Homme Cologne, BVLGARI Man Rain Essence and Light Blue Pour Homme are my picks. The Dior Sauvage After-Shave Lotion and The Art of Shaving After Shave Balm with lavender are the finishing touches, and the Versace Man Eau Fraîche Deodorant Stick is the quiet one. Apply the balm first, then one spray of cologne, and stop there. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Jimmy Choo Perfume and Best Cologne for Men.