Talk about a RAOK (random act of kindness)! Last week a very mysterious person emailed me, saying that she had a bunch of vintage Stila memorabilia, and asked if I would like any of it. She had no room for it anymore but hated the thought of throwing it away. I eagerly responded that I was interested and inquired about pricing. Not only did this marvelous mystery person say that she would give it all to me for free, she even refused reimbursement for shipping! I was, and still am, totally stunned by this act of generosity. And the quality and quantity of the goodies she bestowed upon the museum left me flabbergasted as well.
Without further ado, I introduce the Mystery Stila Lady collection! Whoever you are, I cannot thank you enough!!
Rock the Vote postcard – on the back it had instructions for voting.
Pamphlet (from 1999!):
This was one of my favorites – a postcard set from the 2001 fall collection.
Then there were the workbooks/product guides – I'm assuming these were for Stila employees.
You may recognize this Stila girl – she also appeared on the 2013 holiday palettes, albeit in a different outfit.
Some other great items in the bounty included a cute paper box and silver bag:
I loved everything, obviously, but my favorite item was this 2003 calendar. It's interesting to see how it foreshadows both the 2004 Nordstrom calendar palette collection and the more recent travel palette series.
You may have been wondering where the month of June was. I had to save the best for last. Behold, a Stila mermaid!
My mermaid obsession knows no bounds, so I got heart palpitations when I saw this! Plus, it may be proof that I'm not completely senile in remembering a long-lost Stila paint can that was created in honor of their counters opening in Copenhagen, which I discussed in my post on mermaids in cosmetics ads and packaging. I said that I could have sworn the mermaid was blonde, and here she is! I'm almost positive now that paint can existed and this was the same mermaid used.
Which of these images from the very generous Mystery Stila Lady collection is your favorite? I still can't believe she donated all of this!! I'm both a collector and Stila fanatic, so naturally this is awesome, but what's more is that the Stila girls were what got me collecting makeup in the first place so having these really means a lot.