OBVIOUS point alert: There’s a lot that the ancient Egyptians carved and created that still has a glorious imprint on world culture. Please don’t think we are being so basic as to think of merely pyramids and tombs full of golden wonders. No. Did you know that dressing tables are one of the conceptual creations of early Egyptian civilization? It was born out of their reverence for being in one’s prime and an adoration of accentuating beauty.

Mirrors and cosmetic tools were used by Egyptian royals and affluent members of society, deftly assembled on a vanity cabinet where polished metals (to form a reflection), brushes, bone combs, and make-up concocted of crushed beetles and sooty kohls lay out for the lady to decorate herself with. Probably after bathing in a soup of natron, Nile water, jasmine oils, and donkey’s milk (if you were Cleopatra, that is). One digresses… This period of time saw the inception of the dressing table - a space to personally enhance one’s beauty and explore the face as a canvas for self expression.

During the Renaissance period a dressing table that was most ornate was termed a 'vanity table. By the late 17th century, under the influence of Baroque and Rococo design, the dressing table became an important element of interior decor, particularly in France and England. By the 18th Century, the dressing table began to be more commonly used across different social classes, not just royalty and aristocrats. It became an essential feature in many European homes.

“I think it's one of those first things that enter you into your femininity, if you will,” remarks Deena. “One of my earliest childhood memories is of my mother’s proper dressing table and how it was set-up with perfumes and beautiful make-up. I distinctly remember how it was laid-out with a matching brush, a comb, and all the essential creams and cosmetics.”

It’s as though each carefully chosen compact and silk hair-tie is a little piece of a woman’s personality and, perhaps, even her soul. There’s simply nothing more personal than a woman’s dresser. It’s like the green room to the stage of her life. “For as long as I can recall, whether rich or poor, houses had dressing tables,” reflects Deena. “It didn’t matter about someone’s economic situation, the dressing table stood proud.”

So what happened? For thousands of years dressing tables or dedicated vanity spaces were a staple for homes and residences across most continents and cultures - a space for personal rituals of getting ready. But in recent years we’ve witnessed the steep decline of the dresser. It’s as though many Millennials and Zennials decided that putting make-up on in front of an iPhone was better for them, no additional furniture necessary and maybe a YouTube shorts audience to boot if one live streamed the occasion. Maybe life got too fast to have a special place to prepare for the day ahead, or skincare routines become far more elaborate than just make-up so a more clinical environment such as over the bathroom cabinet felt right for swathes of vanity aficionados.