Francis Kurkdjian composed his first perfume, Le Mâle for Jean Paul Gaultier, when he was 24. In 2001 he opened a bespoke perfume workshop, and in 2009 he and Marc Chaya founded Maison Francis Kurkdjian in Paris. The house thinks of scent as a wardrobe, with something for each mood and each person who wears it. The most famous piece is Baccarat Rouge 540, made for Baccarat's 250th anniversary and named for the temperature at which Baccarat crystal is produced. It was a limited edition first and then joined the permanent collection, with jasmine, saffron, an ambergris accord and cedar in the notes. Here you will find it as an Extrait de Parfum, an Eau de Parfum, a hair perfume and a scented candle. À la rose appears in three forms, with the Eau de Parfum, the L'Eau À La Rose Eau de Toilette and a candle. The Oud Satin Mood, Oud Velvet Mood and Oud Extrait de Parfum add the darker side, and Kurky, Grand Soir, Amyris Femme and 724 fill the wardrobe. For a map of where each one sits, see this guide to shopping by scent family. The Mini Fragrance Wardrobe Essentials set is the shortcut.

Kurkdjian has made fragrances for designers and houses including Rick Owens, Hedi Slimane, Dior, Guerlain and Saint Laurent, and he is a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres. That range of work shows in how the Maison extends a single scent across the day. The Baccarat Rouge 540 Scented Sparkling Body Oil, Rich Body Cream and Hand Cream let the saffron and jasmine stay close to the skin. OUD Satin Mood has a scented hand cream, and Aqua Media Cologne Forte has one too. Grand Soir comes as a body lotion and a cleansing gel, and Gentle Fluidity Gold has a sparkling body oil and a cleansing gel. What I would skip is stacking two different scented creams on one hand. Keep the cream in the same family as your perfume, so the notes line up. A hair perfume guide fits well beside these, and there is a home and body fragrance edit for the rest of the house.

The smaller formats are the practical way into a house with this many scents. The Gentle Fluidity Gold Roll-On Elixirs Set offers four 4 mL roll-ons, and the APOM Roll On Elixir Set is another pocket option. The Oud Satin Mood travel set and the Miniatures Gift Set are made for a weekend away. The Fragrance Wardrobe For Her Discovery Set follows the idea of the wardrobe literally, while the Baccarat Rouge 540 Fragrance Ritual Gift Set and the Gentle Fluidity Gold Precious Elixirs Gift Set bring a favorite scent into one box. The Oud Collection Case gathers the dark side in one place. If you like layering, fragrance oils and this road trip scent story show how other brands approach it.

I would begin with the Baccarat Rouge 540 eau de parfum, add the body oil for evenings, and keep a roll-on in a coat pocket. Since LVMH bought the Maison in 2017, the founder's idea has stayed intact: scent as a wardrobe, picked to suit the moment. That is what makes the house easy to build a collection around: you can start with one bottle, then add a candle, a body oil or a small set when you know which note you keep reaching for.

For more in the same spirit, take a look at Parfums de Marly Perfume and Fragrance and OUAI Hair Care and Fragrance.