Musings of a Muse has reported that Stila is gone in Japan. I'm not sure whether to feel sad or relieved. While I loved Stila's Japan-exclusive items, they were extremely hard for someone in the U.S. to obtain and expensive to boot. So while I will always cherish the items I have from there and will miss the adorable desktop wallpaper they had at their site, it's sort of a relief not to feel pressured to track down those items anymore!
Incidentally, I was looking at the image that accompanied their good-bye message (via Muse) and I swear the Stila girl is copied from a Gap ad. Her stance, vest and especially the bag all seem rather uncannily similar to the Gap's spring 2009 promotion pic:
(photos from musingsofamuse.com and ourcommonline.com)
This same Stila girl is currently at the homepage of the U.S. website, where she accompanies a feature on Stila employee picks – the only difference is that she has a pink shirt and blue pants. It's a great look, but it's a shame they didn't come up with something more original. It could just be a coincidence, of course, but…I have my doubts. Let's hope Stila regains its footing both financially and creatively.