Class! It’s the word that best fits Eau du Soir, along with elegance. Moss bomb, at least in older formulations, EdS has retained most of its beauty but the golden thread of age erasing shows. In a nutshell, I would go with any bottle prior to 2012. Comparison between various vintages. 1990 black atomizer, the original black bottle. This is the most glorious version of it! Obviously, and just newly launched, this is oakmoss galore. Rich rose and jasmine heart, a beguiling verdancy with probably more than a little galbanum, the honeyed warmth of syringa (just like in Knowing with pitosporum), and the razor sharp bitterness of juniper. Shaving foam associations welcome. The drydown is dark moss, vetiver and sandalwood that give the ‘Soir’ its meaning! Sillage and longevity is astounding here. 2002 round purse spray, refillable. This was, supposedly, the first limited edition (2001) before the colored bottles but I’ve no proof of that. The smell is practically the same but there is diminished potency. It behaves like an edt version. Notes seem sharper but overall I still very much like it. The brightness and regal elegance that screams when it hits your skin is unmistakable. I’d love it more had it the potency of prior versions. 2004/2006 limited edition colored bottles. Here is where Sisley started tweaking almost yearly with the formula, as if to find a way to fit into IFRA and the scent. Various bottles, some with oakmoss, some with treemoss, some with both or without any, feel and smell dissonant. EdS is there but it smells like a non finished version. It’s shrill, sharp, the floral heart smells poor and it’s only saved by its characteristic juniper tang. Oakmoss varies from year to year. 2008/2011 limited edition colored bottles. Here, Sisley seems to have found a balance. It overall smells better than years before and the sillage and potency have returned. There’s more honeyed floral-ness than before, the galbanum seems absent, but the drydown brings back the signature darkness from early bottles. It’s dry but creamy, warm but still reeking of that signature opening that channels through the entire fragrance evolution. It smells complete and it’s my favorite formula after the black atomizers. 2012 onwards. And here, it’s downhill until today. With stricter restrictions in place, Eau du Soir still retains its character but it feels alien. Sharper than ever, there’s no emotion. The flowers smell wilted, the base feels like a simple white wash of musk and there’s nothing to anchor it on skin. Just like post 2016 Aromatics, both of which are highly recognizable, individual and stern, the warmth and heart are gone. Both, easily converted into signature perfumes for dynamic personalities and never forgotten, with a loyal following, remain so because of the loyalty of their followers. Smell it today and it’s a million times better than the rest of the perfume counter. Smell it for the first time and they’re stunning powerhouses among a sea of nothingness. But smell them after years of knowing them and you’ll sense the change. I’m not gonna lie, I have a 2009 turquoise/coral bottle and two 1990 black ones and I’m perfectly happy. Had I not had the opportunity to get them I would still buy the current, because even if it’s tummy tucked and lifted, it still has class, elegance, and smells infinitely better than the rest of the perfumes in a department store. And whatever reformulations, I’m positive they were made the best they could. It’s a shame that the norm is to disfigure a perfume to its very bones.. Long live Eau du Soir.