There comes a moment in every woman’s life when the reflection in the mirror feels unfamiliar, not in a way that is unkind or unwelcome, but in a way that makes you pause and wonder when the shift happened. You have grown and evolved, and yet there is a quiet whisper inside that remembers another version of you, the one who could walk into a room with effortless confidence, who could dream without first weighing the risks, who carried her own sense of glory without knowing it would one day be called that.
This was the conversation that unfolded at our At The Table dinner in London. Inside the AKARA Restaurant, with its warm light and tables prepared for connection, our Creative Director, Aisha Ayensu, welcomed a group of women who had each experienced different seasons of themselves. The evening was filled with stories about careers that have changed direction, passions that have either softened or returned with greater force, relationships that have reshaped the way we see ourselves, and dreams that now look entirely different from how they once appeared.
There was no need for pretence; the honesty was effortless, and the shared understanding that reinvention is rarely as polished as it appears made the room feel safe. Reinvention can be untidy. It can be slow. It can feel like the sparkle you once carried has been exchanged for something steadier, and in the quiet moments, you may still wonder whether that trade was worth it.
Yet as the conversations deepened, it became clear that the woman you are now is not a stranger to the woman you once were. She is the same person who held your former glory, only now she stands in a different kind of light. That light might be softer, warmer, or more deliberate, but it illuminates the same essence that has always been there.
The evening, much like our Resort 25 Escape collection, became a reflection on finding beauty in moments of transition. It was about noticing the way a silhouette moves when you take a first step into unfamiliar territory, and the way colours shift when light changes. It was about accepting that the past was beautiful, but the future calls for a different kind of beauty, one that demands courage and openness.
By the time dessert was served, there was a sense of ease around the table. We were no longer comparing the women we used to be with the women we are now. Instead, we were weaving the two together, recognising that our past selves and our present selves can exist side by side in harmony.
Perhaps this is the quiet truth. Your new self does not erase your former glory. She carries it forward, she wears it differently, and she shows you that the most radiant parts of who you are do not disappear over time. They simply transform into something deeper, richer, and more enduring.
