In 1994, in London, Elizabeth Hurley walked into the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in a black Versace dress held together with oversized gold safety pins. She has said she urgently needed something to wear, and Donatella Versace later described it as a dress Gianni made for a woman who is sure of herself and unafraid to break the rules. Nobody remembers the film's dress code. Everybody remembers the pins. That is the house in one image: a little danger, worn with total confidence.

Versace Eros Eau de Toilette is that attitude turned into a liquid. It launched in 2012 as the house's first fragrance for men in five years, composed by Aurélien Guichard of Givaudan, and it is named for the Greek god of love. The bottle is turquoise and carries the Medusa. The structure is an aromatic fougère with mint, green apple and Italian lemon on top, tonka bean, ambroxan and geranium in the heart, then Madagascar vanilla, cedar, vetiver and oakmoss underneath. Versace describes it as sensuality against virility, and I think that tension is why it never reads as a simple fresh scent.

The trick with the first grid is to treat it as one family with different weather. The Eros Eau de Toilette Fragrance Collection is where I would begin, because it is the original in its natural habitat. Eros Eau de Parfum arrived in 2020 and is the warmer, amber-woody step. Eros Parfum followed in 2021 for a deeper evening version, and Eros Flame, from 2018, is the red-bottled cold-weather one. Eros Energy, from 2024, is the citrus one for summer. Eros Najim Parfum, Dylan Blue Pour Homme and Pour Homme Eau de Toilette round out the house for anyone who wants a different mood from the same shelf.

Most men own one fragrance and wear it in every weather, which is why it never quite fits. Pick by season instead: if it is warm and you are heading to a desk, a lunch or a beach, choose from the cooler scents below, and if it is a dark evening, go sweeter and heavier.

Ralph Lauren gives you three routes. Polo 67 Eau de Toilette is built around pineapple and bergamot, which suits a bright morning. The Extreme Eau de Parfum adds cedarwood and leather, so it suits cooler air. Polo Red brings grapefruit and coffee, a sharper and more awake take. Yves Saint Laurent's Y Iced Cologne Intense is the mint and patchouli one, closest in spirit to the Eros opening, while Azzaro Chrome and Mr. Burberry, with its grapefruit and vetiver, are the quieter, cleaner options. Jimmy Choo Man and Coach For Men are the easy, office-friendly pair.

A pairing I like: a mint-forward scent on the pulse points and nothing else scented. If you shower with a matching gel, the fragrance lasts longer in your own head than it does on your skin, so keep the rest of the routine unscented.

What I would skip: a dense leather scent like the Polo 67 Extreme on a humid commute. It is lovely in October and a lot in August.

Tonka and vanilla open shy and then bloom, and the version you smell at the counter is not the one your partner will smell at dinner. Spray one wrist and wait a full hour before deciding.

Tonka is also the thread back to Eros, where it sits in the heart. Armani Beauty Code Parfum with bergamot and tonka bean is the polished, suit-and-tie one, and Code Eau de Parfum with green mandarin and tonka bean is a little lighter. Rabanne's line is the louder cousin: 1 Million Elixir with tonka bean and woody amber, Million Gold Elixir, and 1 Million Black Eau de Parfum with vanilla for the heaviest and sweetest of the lot. Emporio Armani's Stronger With You Intensely and Absolutely Parfum are the pair for anyone who likes the Code idea at a different volume, and Jo Malone London's Ginger Biscuit Cologne with tonka bean is the odd one out, the one that reads more like a dessert than a cologne, going by the name.

Try a sweet scent on a cold evening with a wool coat, where the fabric holds the warmth. A scarf does half the work.

What I would skip: a heavy vanilla scent on a first date in a small restaurant. Sweet carries, and you do not want to be the table that can be smelled from across the room.

Scent on scent on scent turns muddy, which is why daily wearers match the gel to the bottle and let the deodorant be the quiet one. The body products are there to set the stage, not compete.

The Versace range makes this easy. Eros Shower Gel, Eros Energy Bath and Shower Gel and Eros Flame Shower Gel each echo their perfume, so you can match the season you are wearing. Eros Deodorant finishes the set if you want the full head-to-toe version.

Dior goes a different way, and I like it more for travel. Sauvage Deodorant Spray, the Dior Homme Eau de Toilette Deodorant Spray and Fahrenheit for Men Deodorant Stick each carry a familiar fragrance in a product you can throw in a gym bag. Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male Deodorant Spray is the playful one. Whichever you pick, keep the louder scent for the wrist and let the underarm product stay polite.

I like a matching shower gel with a different scent on the skin, so the two meet rather than repeat.

What I would skip: a strongly scented deodorant under a different fragrance. Pick one voice.

I think the first bottle should be the original. Versace Eros is loud by design, but the mint and vanilla hold together in a way the flankers sometimes do not, and it is easier to wear than its reputation suggests. Add a second scent for the season it does not cover, and keep the body products simple.

Take the long view of it. Gianni Versace's black dress still gets talked about because it was worn without apology, and a bottle like this asks the same of you. Hurley had her safety pins. You have a turquoise bottle and a wrist, so spray it once, walk in, and let the room do the rest.

Eros is loud on purpose, so the bottles that sit beside it should either calm it down or match its energy. On the calmer side, I would try Polo Blue from Polo Ralph Lauren, Versace Man Eau Fraîche Extrême and Emporio Armani Acqua di Giò Profondo. On the warmer side, Jimmy Choo Man Parfum, Burberry Hero Parfum for Men and Ralph's Club New York Parfum are my picks, and Jo Malone London Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense handles the tonka-sweet lane. Armani Privé Blanc Kogane is the quiet one in the group. To finish, the Dior Homme Deodorant Spray and Stick and the Jo Malone London Pomegranate Noir Soap keep the routine tidy. What I would skip: the Eros Eau de Toilette on the same day as another loud bottle. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Versace Eros Energy and Versace Cologne.