This is because in the French tradition, they would drape hugely expensive white linen damask over a simple walnut table and place a silver mirror on top.

WSJ: The Un-Vain Vanity Table

Pairing a standing mirror and a table to create a vanity is hardly a new idea in fact, it's how the earliest designs were constructed.

WSJ: The Un-Vain Vanity Table

She likes throwing a burlap cloth over a table, and adding a self-lit mirror paired with antique crystal lamps and a small-scale, American Federal chair.

WSJ: The Un-Vain Vanity Table

One day, not long after she had endured yet another session under the surgeon's knife, he took a mirror from her dressing table and thrust it in front of her face to reflect the livid scars and the bruising under her eyes.

CNN: Books - Excerpt: 'Flint'

Driving south, Table Mountain recedes in the rear-view mirror and congested streets give way to a cliff-hugging road and endless ocean views.

BBC: The perfect trip: South Africa