In 1966, in Paris, a young Spanish designer showed a debut he called "Manifesto: 12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials." The dresses were metal plaques and Rhodoid linked together with wire, and they walked out on barefoot models. Chanel called him a metalworker, not a couturier. Peggy Guggenheim bought pieces anyway. The metalworker was Paco Rabanne, and his house still sells a bottle shaped like a robot.

The case for paco rabanne phantom is that it is that founding gesture turned into something you can spray. A provocative material, a pose toward the future, and under it a very easy mix of lavender, lemon and vanilla. It launched in 2021 as the house's third masculine pillar, made with IFF perfumers, and the list of noses runs long: Anne Flipo, Dominique Ropion, Loc Dong and Juliette Karagueuzoglou. The bottle is the robot, with a screw-top spray that lets the 150 ml size be refilled. I find the refill a better idea than the NFC chip in the cap, because it will still be useful after the novelty of tapping a phone on a bottle has worn off. One note on names: the house is now simply Rabanne, which is what you will see on the labels below.

The trick is to know which Phantom you are reaching for, because the family is bigger than the robot. Phantom Eau de Toilette with Woody Vanilla is the original and the easiest to wear in daylight. Phantom Intense brings in aromatic amber, Phantom Parfum is the richer take, and Phantom Elixir Parfum Intense pairs ocean salt with vanilla bean, which is the one I would pick for a warm evening near water. Phantom in Red is the lavender one. If lavender is what you came for, Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male Le Parfum and Le Male Elixir bring lavender in with iris and tonka bean, and Valentino's Uomo Born in Roma Purple Melancholia is the quieter, more modern cousin.

Start with the bottle, because that is how this family works: a gold ingot. 1 Million arrived in August 2008, drawn from Rabanne's metallic fashion and a 1967 Françoise Hardy dress, and it opens with grapefruit, mint and blood orange over cinnamon, rose and blond leather. If you have ever typed one in a million cologne into a search bar, this is the name behind it, and the Eau de Toilette is the place to begin.

From there the family branches by mood. 1 Million Black Eau de Parfum and Night Elixir are the after-dark pair. Lucky is the one I would give to someone who finds the original a bit loud, since the Eau de Toilette format keeps things lighter. Elixir with Tonka Bean & Woody Amber is the deeper, sweeter step up. Million Gold Eau de Parfum Intense and Million Gold Elixir with Vanilla keep the gold bottle and turn the sweetness up further.

A pairing I like: the Jumbo 1 Million Shower Gel in the morning, then a single spray of the Eau de Toilette on a shirt collar. The scent layers with itself, and the big bottle stays in the shower where it belongs.

What I would skip: the Elixirs on a warm commute. They are made for cool nights and close company.

One rule for sweet scents: apply them to skin you cannot smell on your own, then check again after an hour. Sweetness that seems mild at the counter can announce itself across a room by lunch.

Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Beau Eau de Toilette with Coconut & Bergamot is the friendly place to begin, bright at the front and easy in summer. Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille, with tonka bean and ginger, is the old-fashioned member of this grid, a leather armchair in a bottle, and it suits anyone who thinks Phantom is too clean.

Then the Lattafa shelf, which is where I would spend the most time. Khamrah Waha, Pride Nebras, Pride Nebras Elixir and Atheeri are the Eau de Parfums to work through. Ajwad and Dynasty are sold for everyone, and I like that, since a sweet scent has no reason to care who is wearing it. Try two of them on separate wrists before you commit.

A pairing I like: Phantom by day and one of these on the nights you want to smell like dessert.

What I would skip: layering two sweet scents at once. Pick one, and let it do the talking.

Try this at home: spray once on your chest and once on the back of your neck, then leave the house for an hour before you decide. Warm, spicy scents open loud and settle down, and the settled version is the one people will actually smell on you.

Carolina Herrera's Bad Boy Elixir Eau de Parfum with Woody Leather is the dark one, and the Bad Boy Eau de Toilette Collection is the lighter door into the same house. Azzaro gives you two: Forever Wanted Elixir, and The Most Wanted Eau de Parfum Intense with a toffee accord and amber wood, which is the sweeter of the pair. Valentino's Uomo Born in Roma Yellow Dream leans on cinnamon, and Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Beau Narcisse pairs tonka bean with vanilla.

Lattafa's Khamrah Qahwa fits right here, a warm scent for the cold end of the year. Jimmy Choo's Man Intense in the 100 ml bottle is the one for a dinner where you want to be remembered without being loud.

What I would skip: any of these in a small, hot room. Warm scents need air around them.

I think Phantom is the smartest place to start if you like a fragrance that has a story. The house began by making dresses out of metal discs, and a lemon-lavender-vanilla robot is a fair way to carry that on.

I would buy the Eau de Toilette, wear it for a couple of weeks, and only then decide whether you want the Intense or the Elixir. Add one warm evening scent from the last grid and keep the rest for later. Chanel called Rabanne a metalworker. He seems to have taken it as a compliment.

Phantom is a crowd-pleaser, but the only way to know is to try it against the bottles it grew up beside. Rabanne is well represented here: Phantom Elixir with oud and vanilla, 1 Million Elixir with vanilla and amber, 1 Million Lucky with woody cedar and plum, and the original 1 Million with mandarin and leather. Invictus Elixir and Invictus Victory Elixir round out the family. Jean Paul Gaultier brings Le Male Elixir and Le Male Le Parfum for something with lavender in it. I would take the Jimmy Choo Man Aqua for lighter days and the Valentino Vendetta Uomo or Tom Ford Soleil Neige for later on. Wear one Rabanne and one outsider on separate days.