As with just about everything else, perfumes are seasonal. What you wear as a heavy cloak in the wintertime should be cast aside in favor of a light, loose-knit sweater.

Donnetta Moorman, owner of Moorman’s Perfume on 86th Street, has been in the perfume business since 1994; it’s a business she talks about with obvious relish.

“The complexities of the perfumes are very interesting,” she says. “It’s analogous to wine, really, with the different phases.”

When she first started selling perfumes, she was struck by how many essences there are. “When you look at what’s in a fragrance, you’re looking at 12 to 15 essences all combined to make that one scent.”

Regardless of how elegantly those essences are combined, just as there were once rules for wearing white, there are rules for perfume.

In summer, Moorman says, light is the key. Go with citrus notes or white flowers if you’re into florals.

“Those tend to be very light, and you put it on and as your body adjusts to it, it radiates a very nice, light fragrance — nothing heavy,” Moorman says.

Avoid patchouli, gardenia and musks (which are too heavy) — unless you just can’t. “For the patchouli wearer in summer — that person is very outgoing and definitely wants to be noticed,” Moorman says.

Make it about you and what you enjoy wearing — not about the feedback of others.

Moorman’s summer recommendations (prices vary by size):

For her:Shi, by Alfred Sung; Dalton, by Royal Doulton; Hermes’ Eau des Merveilles; Bulgari; Acqua Di Gio, By Giorgio Armani; and Light Blue, by Dolce and Gabbana.

For him:Royall Lyme; Mandarin; St. John’s West Indian line; 4711; Bulgari Black; GFT, by George Trumper; Skye, by Trumper; 1881, by Cerruti; and Eau d’Orange, by Hermes.

Moorman’s Perfume is at 3435 E. 86th St., (317) 251-1111.