KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 – They look like miniature pies with a crispy egg-washed exterior. Perfectly baked, you could say. But what is in it?

Take a bite and you’ll discover a subtle sweet filling that ranges in texture from chunky to creamy. And the color! That vibrant purple shade!

These are purple sweet potato pies from Doughappy Bakery, Taman Desa’s favorite secret bakery. That’s the name of the preservative-free purple sweet potato filling zǐ shǔ xiàn and also used for their purple sweet potato sourdough fritters.

Doughappy Bakery is run by Mia Lee and Sam Chuah, a couple in their early thirties.

Lee is from Bidor, Perak, where her parents sold their homemade bread in front of the city’s bus station. She has always had an affinity for baking.

When Lee met Penang-born Chuah while studying at UTAR, they decided to pursue their dream of expanding their parents’ business and sharing the traditional taste of homemade bread with others, especially in big cities like KL.

They started selling their baked goods – Malaysian classics like sliced ​​bread with spread kaya and Planta margarine, red bean buns and coconut buns – from a food truck in Taman Desa.

Residents soon learned to stop by in the early afternoon to pick up their favorite items for tea time or to keep for breakfast the next morning.

It was a good start for a young company run by two hardworking young people. Then the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

Lee recalls: “We lost a lot of customers during this time because we didn’t have enough time to gather contacts after the lockdown was implemented. Luckily we managed to get some customers of our own taman – they supported us every week for the rest of 2020.”

During the first lockdown, the duo decided to go on hiatus while they regrouped and strategized.

With a database of regular customers, they switched to taking WhatsApp orders for their baked goods.

Even with that stable, albeit small, clientele, Doughappy’s sales fell drastically by as much as 80 percent. They hoped business would bounce back once the lockdown was lifted.

However, the reality was much harsher. Lee shares, “Even after a lot of prep on the food truck and new menu items, we found that the usual crowds weren’t there anymore.

“Many of the shops and restaurants along the same route suffered as well and we realized we needed to focus on our online sales.”

The couple had already started using Facebook to market their product before the pandemic, but soon realized that it wasn’t enough and decided to try the Instagram platform as well.

Lee says, “Surprisingly, compared to Facebook, we got more interactions and responses from Instagram. So we have now arranged that our weekly menu will be posted on both our Instagram and Facebook stories every Monday night to allow our customers to place their orders.”

This means a new sales process for Doughappy, which will see the couple first picking up and confirming orders from their social media accounts before they are delivered on set dates.

Lee adds: “Customers can also pick up from us or arrange their own delivery. To date we can see that our revenue has exceeded our sales when we operated from our food truck.”

Such a pre-order approach means the online bakery can save time and reduce wastage of unsold goods.

However, Lee notes that her work hours have increased as “we now have to take orders, pack and arrange for delivery compared to our food truck days where customers buy from the truck.”

Regulars are now closely following their menu delivery dates (every Monday night at 8pm) to keep an eye out for new items like fluffy matcha buns, which are best enjoyed with some thick red bean paste and cold butter.

Aromatic focaccia peppered with black olives, herbs and sun-dried tomatoes beckon enticingly.

Even something deceptively simple like their new chocolate pudding buns has been a huge hit, blending classic and modern.

Lee explains, “We came up with the idea for our chocolate pudding buns while trying bomb for the first time. Tastes great, but it’s fried and too oily for us.

“So we created this version where we use our own chocolate pudding made from premium Belgian dark chocolate and pumped into our soft mini pillow buns.”

The aforementioned purple yam pies and sourdough fritters are the latest bestsellers. Lee says, “Everyone loves donuts! We were looking for a healthier alternative that doesn’t contain sugar and uses natural yeast.

“To our surprise, the texture and flavor were acceptable, although it took some time for our customers to appreciate it.”

In addition to new products, there were other changes. A seemingly small addition – that of a bread slicer – changed the life of Lee, who risked injuring himself through repetitive tasks from slicing so many loaves of bread by hand.

She adds: “We are also looking for a space to expand our operations as our demand increases. Many customers were disappointed when their orders could not go through as our production capacity is now limited.”

As a small business owner, the increased cost of ingredients is a major issue they are currently facing. Lee explains, “Most of our wheat for flour production in Malaysia is imported from Ukraine and Russia, while alternative sources from China and India have been hit by drought and massive flooding.”

The prices of other import goods important for baking, such as butter, cheese, walnuts, etc. have also increased.

Lee shares, “Overall, ingredient prices have increased four-fold in 2022 alone. We manage the increased costs without burdening our customers by spreading the difference to other areas.”

Who knew there was so much going on behind the scenes to make your beloved artisanal donuts or fluffy pillow buns?

All the more reason to be thankful for our bakers, especially the smaller entrepreneurs who need our support to continue their good work and make more delicious, healthy treats.

Doughappy Bakery

I G: instagram.com/doughappy_bakery/

FB: facebook.com/doughappybakery/

Operating days: Fri-Mon, with menu posting every Monday evening at 8pm on their IG and FB story.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.

This is a great time of year to celebrate the rosy glow of rose gold. Red is the shade of gold traditionally used for dress watches, special editions, or high complications, but these five rose gold watches update that tradition with subtle modern enhancements, maintaining the hue’s formality while adding a contemporary kick. Because all are made by small or independent brands – and because they’re gold – they’re produced in small batches, making them rare and collectible, with investment potential.

Arnold & Son Nebel

The Nebula’s openwork movement is anchored by 6 18k rose gold bridges that match the case. Hands and markers are also rose gold, contrasting with grey-treated components and plates. The hand-wound movement is powered by two mainsprings for a power reserve of 90 hours. It’s a limited edition of 88 pieces, in either 41.5mm ($32,100) or 38mm ($29,800).

Armin Strom Tribute 1 Rose Gold Edition

Armin Strom is a master of the modern interpretation of the traditional art of watchmaking. It is a rose gold dress watch but with the barrel visible on the dial and held by a solid 18k rose gold bridge. The dial is modern minimalist, with an off-center sub-dial just for the time. The hand-wound movement has a power reserve of 100 hours. The case measures 38mm under the cuff and is limited to 100 pieces. $23,900.

Franck Muller x Bamford Vanguard Popeye

Just because a watch is elegantly set in 18k rose gold doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Here, cartoon character Popeye lends his muscular arms to count the hours and minutes while the seconds are tracked by his sidekick Swee’Pea. This edition of the Vanguard is a collaboration between Franck Muller and Bamford, a company specializing in personalized watches and collaborations. It’s also available in titanium, but the 18k rose gold edition costs $25,500 (£21,500).

Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon Golden brown

Like many watches, the Grand Sport Tourbillon was inspired by the world of motor racing, but few are as authentic as this one. Before becoming one of the most respected and sought-after watchmakers in the world, Laurent Ferrier was a successful racing driver. The hand-wound tourbillon movement has a power reserve of 80 hours. It is one of only 24 examples in 18k rose gold. $235,000 (£225,000).

Tutima Glashuette Patria

Tutima demonstrates how to give a minimalist rose gold timepiece a little kick: by adding a bright blue enamel dial and contrasting it with gold hands and applied markers. The hand-wound caliber Tutima 617 has a power reserve of 65 hours. It is beautifully finished, with a typically German three-quarter plate decorated with Côtes de Genève and visible through the transparent case back. The 43mm case is 18k rose gold. $21,000.

It was a nightmare that haunts many of us to this day. The Covid pandemic that swept the country and whose deadly blows caught many of our friends and relatives. This death wave spread across the country and did not select its victims according to caste or social class.

The beggar who lived on the streets was vulnerable, as were the rich and famous who lived in palatial bungalows. Our entire lifestyle has changed. Weddings, which the local government had tried to limit to certain hours, automatically shortened not only the times, but also the number of events and the number of people invited.

If someone had told me before the pandemic that a wedding in Karachi, and also that of the affluent in society, could be capped at 100 or 200 people and would end soon enough for the attendees to watch their daily episode of a soap opera, they would have pursuing me would have laughed at such an assumption.

More tragic and painful was the fear that attending the funeral of a close friend and relative who had died from Covid was not advisable given the high chances of contracting the disease yourself. It was heartbreaking to say the least, sitting at home powerless to do whatever your heart desired and say a silent prayer for the deceased.

As we speak, the Covid pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people, including some very prominent members of our society, including parliamentarians past and present.

Mian Jamshid Uddin Kakakhel, 65, a member of the provincial parliament in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, became the fifth lawmaker to die from the disease. On the same day, Shaukat Manzoor Cheema, a provincial legislator in Punjab, also died from the virus. Ghulam Murtaza Baloch, provincial minister for human settlements in Sindh, was another victim. Shaheen Raza, a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly, was another victim.

On the same day, Syed Fazal Agha, a member of the provincial legislature in Balochistan, died in a hospital in Karachi. He was also a former provincial governor of Balochistan. Dost Mohammad Faizi, a prominent figure from politics and society, also died in the pandemic. The disease did not discriminate and spread relentlessly across the country until its tide was stemmed by the discovery of vaccines that brought some relief to terror-stricken people.

The main savior during this whole nightmare was the face mask. No statistics are available, but I’m sure that little piece of cloth and gauze helped save countless lives. It is interesting to note that while the pandemic was coming out of China, so was the mask, and it was Chinese physician Wu Liande during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) who invented a face mask made of two layers of gauze called “Wus mask” in response to a plague that was spreading through northeastern China during this period.

It was also customary for the emperor’s servants to cover their faces with masks made of silk and gold thread. During the spread of the Spanish flu, mask-wearing was mandatory in the US Army, and as one Red Cross volunteer put it, “The man, woman or child who is not wearing a mask now is a dangerous slacker.” While mask-wearing was widely accepted, anti-maskers were popping up in US pockets across the country.

An anti-mask coalition was even formed in San Francisco. To crack down on these groups, police imposed harsh fines and jail terms on those caught without a mask. The situation was similar in Pakistan. Some people resisted wearing masks and were not allowed to enter banks, restaurants and other public places.

During the pandemic in Pakistan, there has been a rush to cash in on the disease. This led to a shortage of masks that became so acute that health workers took to social media to ask for help and citizens hoarded supplies, driving prices up by as much as 2,000 percent. Many textile factories in Faisalabad, Lahore and Karachi switched entirely to making masks for local supply and export. In the textile factories in Faisalabad alone, an average of 500,000 to 600,000 masks are produced every day.

Businesses also benefited in other ways. Suddenly the entire working atmosphere changed. The concept of “working from home”, unfamiliar to most companies and employees, became routine. This led to investments in new equipment and it is not wrong to say that despite its tragic outcome, Covid has catapulted the country into the 21st century.

They say ‘It’s not over until it’s over’, which is also true of Covid. It still lingers in the shadows; Although the excitement has died down and become less prominent in the media, there are still cases that raise their heads and warn us not to let down our vigilance. Now armed with vaccines, boosted by secondary vaccinations, we seem well prepared, but our opponent is a tricky character who comes back by reinventing himself every time. Don’t slack off your guard. Prevention is always better than cure.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022

HOT PRODUCT: The Ninja Airfyers have flown out of stores in the run-up to Black Friday

This article contains affiliate links, we may receive a commission on any sales we generate from them. [Learn more]

Sleek, sophisticated and coveted by kitchen lovers, Ninja air fryers are among the most popular items on the Black Friday 2022 wish list.

The company is famous for its uber-sleek, dead-tech designs that deliver ultra-efficient, fat-free frying in super-quick time. The heady mix of energy efficiency and faster cook times makes cooking with a Ninja cheaper, confirming its position as a viable alternative to traditional ovens as the cost of living crises bite.

With Black Friday just around the corner, Ninja are already offering 16 special offers on products across the range, including up to £90 off select gadgets and kitchen essentials and a special limited additional copper color.

CONTINUE READING: Shoppers face a £682 hike in supermarket bills as grocery inflation soars

Four of the most popular ninja kitchen gadgets have been released in the Limited edition copper tone for Black Fridaywith the 3-in-1 food processor, Foodi Max Dual Zone Air Fryer the Foodi Max Health Grill and Air Fryer and the SmartLid 14-in-1 multi-cooker everything available for style-conscious gourmets.

That SmartLid 14-in-1 multi-cooker is a beast of a machine that can make meals for the whole family in just 30 minutes. This little beauty offers both pressure cook and air fry functions, has a capacity of 7.5 liters and is easy to clean with dishwasher safe parts. The copper-colored Limited Edition is currently available for just £249 in the Black Friday Sale while stocks last.

That Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 SmartLid Version in silver also has a £50 discount, coming in at just £229, and the Ninja Foodi MAX 9-in-1 Version has a £30 discount, making it a very affordable price of £199.

CONTINUE READING: The best and worst paid jobs in the UK in 2022 – full list

That Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer is another popular choice that can feed up to eight people and can air fry, crisp, roast, bake, dehydrate and reheat a variety of recipes.

With an included apron and 2 tiered grates, this 9.5 liter capacity worktop stove really is the best choice. If you can get your hands on one, they’re available from the Ninja website for just £229 while supplies last.

Some of the limited edition products come with other bonus accessories, including Ninja-branded aprons, skewers, coffee and spice grinders, a silicone roasting loop, and extra cooking grates.

In a recent review by The Birmingham Mailthe Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer went neck and neck with that Salter dual equivalentwith reviewer Gareth Butterfield I recommend the Foodi Max over its competitor for the quality of its construction and functionality.

You can also find more traditional ninja gadgets with big savings in the Black Friday sale including a Black kettle and toaster setreduced by £90 to £159.99 and the Ninja CREAMi ice cream makerreduced to £189.99.

Favorite product not in stock? Try these instead

As consumers scramble to get their hands on the coveted Ninja-branded convection ovens, many retailers are selling out online. In fact, demand for the Ninja Dual Air Fryer Special Edition was so high last week that the Ninja website crashed leave buyers in dismay. They are also currently out of stock on the oh and curries Web pages.

If you can’t get your hands on a Ninja, or just want to spend a little less, there are alternatives for savvy buyers to snag before Christmas. At Amazon, for example, the COSORI hot air fryer Costing just £109.99, it has multiple features and five-star reviews while being compact Chefman TurboFry is perfect for solo travelers.

In the aisle of Aldi, the Ambiano double basket air fryer is an absolute steal at just £89.99. The device, which is being hailed as an affordable alternative to some pricier models, is currently out of stock in stores and online, but should be back in stock soon.

CONTINUE READING:

---

Get the latest news, updates, activities and more from your local InYourArea feed.

Today Philips announced its new Hue Festavia string lights. Just in time for the Christmas season, the company is making the lighting experiences of the users more individual, more colorful and more intelligent. Here’s what you need to know.

“A cozy ambience for the holidays and special occasions” promises Philips with the new Hue Festavia light chains. It features 250 mini smart LEDs along a 20 meter cable. The company says customers can decorate their Christmas tree, the staircase, or any area in their home.

Festavia string lights allow users to dim and brighten lights, change color, turn lights on and off, set timers and schedules, and more. Like other Philips Hue products, this one works in harmony with other company lights in the room, and can sync to music via Spotify and Samsung SmartThings integration, so the lights can flash, dim, and brighten along with people’s favorite songs or playlists.

In addition to the Philips Hue Festavia light chains, the Hue app has also been updated with additional functions. A new Sparkle effect allows users to make lights sparkle on the string. Featuring a new scattered style, it randomly distributes up to five colors along the string for a colorful experience.

“As the global leader in smart lighting, we are constantly innovating to expand the ways users experience lighting in their homes. We are very proud to present our new smart string lights, an innovation that many users from all over the world have been waiting for. With Philips Hue Festavia fairy lights, everyone can create a personal lighting experience during the festive season. Homes are getting brighter than ever,” says Jasper Vervoort, Business Leader Philips Hue at Signify.

Philips Hue users can still choose the existing candle or fireplace effect for a cozier environment. The new Philips Hue Festavia String Lights are available exclusively for $159.99 starting next week, November 15th via the Hue website.

More Tech Coverage: Three Eve products are now Matter-compatible thanks to a free firmware update

(CNN) — It takes around half an hour to reach Bozcaada Island from Geyikli Port on mainland Turkey, the glittering expanse of the Aegean Sea is a constant visual companion.

When this idyllic island sails into view, one of the first things that catches your attention is the Castle of Bozcaada, a brave protagonist who represents the island’s long history, stretching back to classical antiquity.

The Romans were here. So were the Byzantines, the Venetian Republic and the Ottomans. It is also mentioned under its alternative name Tenedos in Homer’s “Iliad”.

And in many ways, it hasn’t changed over the centuries – especially when it comes to offering tranquil escapes relatively untouched by modern life.

Strolling through the island’s cobblestoned city center, it’s hard to resist the lingering influences of its former Greek residents. Everywhere there are old stone houses and taverns with wooden tables and chairs, where fresh seafood, meze, rakı (aniseed flavor) or wine are served every evening.

The bell tower of the 19th-century Church of St. Mary, one of the two remaining Orthodox churches on the island, juts out from between the flat, orange-tiled roofs.

aroma of wine

Speaking of local wine, this is the other protagonist of Bozcaada, with a viticultural history stretching back almost 3,000 years. Old and new winemakers successfully continue the tradition, especially endemic grape varieties such as Çavuş, Vasilaki, Kuntra and Karalahna.

It was Soley’s tenacity and Bozcaada’s long history in viticulture that inspired aspiring winemaker İlke Yasa and brought 2021 to the Corvus Vineyards, which sit right on the bay of Tuzburnu, one of the island’s many beautiful seaside resorts.

“For me, the best time on the island is April, May, September and October,” she says. “The crowded time is August, which coincides with the busy wine harvest. During the day hours are spent under the sun among the vines and at night people gather on beaches that are not accessible by car, bonfires are lit and people dance the night away.

Stellar sunsets

Perched on one of the island’s highest peaks, the Sunset Houses holiday homes overlook the sea between the valley and the dusk that bathes everything in its orange glow each day.

At night the sky is full of stars and only the changing winds are a reminder that this is an island in the middle of the Aegean Sea.

During the day, the island’s many hiking trails lead through vineyards and orchards where figs, pomegranates and olives bloom. The scents of rosemary, wild oregano and sage are omnipresent.

For all these reasons and more, Bozcaada remains one of the most unspoilt islands in the Aegean. When the 2020 pandemic hit, it became an escape for many city dwellers yearning for more space and a connection to nature.

It was around this time that Sinan Sökmen – founder and CEO of award-winning boutique travel agency Istanbul Tour Studio – and his wife Seda Domaniç, founding editor-in-chief of Vogue Turkey, decided to buy a house on the island.

After meeting and marrying on the island, a strong emotional connection to Bozcaada made their decision easier, as did its pristine beaches and fresh culinary offerings.

street festivals

After coming across a black-and-white etching of Tenedos and four postcards in an antiquarian bookshop in Istanbul in 1988, the antiquarian Hakan Gürüney embarked on an intensive and systematic collecting journey into the history of the island.

He founded the museum in 2005 to display the accumulated collection of items and donations from islanders who recognized the importance of sharing their own personal family stories.

Upstairs, each room tells the historical events that shaped the island. In the basement, glass cases are filled with everyday island items from the past, from vintage groceries to toys to wine bottles and more.

As soon as the ferry departs for the mainland again, the islanders are separated from the visitors again.

And as summer fades all but a few shops and tavernas close while the locals take back their streets, minding their own business, perhaps reflecting on the past or looking forward to the future when the island is filled with them again who want to share their isolation, just for a few days.

ANI |
Updated: October 31, 2022 4:55 p.m IS

Ho Chi Minh City [Vietnam]Oct. 31 (ANI): Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security said Saturday the sudden deaths of some defendants involved in the alleged financial fraud involving the head of ‘Van Thinh Phat Group will not affect the investigation , reported VNExpress International.
Ministry spokesman To An Xo said the decision to open an investigation into the case was to ensure that the law was being followed and that the business was operating properly.
Earlier on Oct. 8, Truong My Lan was arrested on suspicion of financial fraud as the country stepped up its long anti-graft fight, The Strait Times reported.
Truong My Lan has been accused of illegally issuing bonds to raise trillions of dong (tens of millions of dollars) from investors in 2018-2019, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security said in a press release published Oct. 8.
Xo gave more details on the investigation, saying certain people involved in the case had “sudden deaths,” which caused some investigative difficulties. However, the case will eventually come to light and justice will be served.
“Key leaders in the Communist Party and government, when briefed on the case, all agreed it would be difficult but must be dealt with. The more difficult it is, the more resolutely we deal with it,” VNExpress International quoted Xo as saying.

Alongside Lan, Truong Hue Van, 34, CEO of Windsor Property Management, Nguyen Phuong Hong, 38, assistant at Van Thinh Phat, and Ho Buu Phuong, 50, former chairwoman of Tan Viet Securities and former deputy finance director of Van Thinh Phat, were appointed also arrested.
According to VNExpress International, they allegedly scammed a number of people to abuse trillions of dong in 2018-19.
Earlier, the Singapore Post reported that the unnatural deaths of three senior executives at Van Thinh Phat group in early October 2022 sparked speculation about a Chinese connection in the fraud case.
Vietnamese authorities believe that the three people belonging to the Van Thinh Phat group were eliminated by Chinese spies to save Lan as they had evidence of all their misdeeds.
There are also rumors that the death of former Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang was also linked to the Chinese. Tran died in office of President in 2018. Apparently, he received a billion dollars as a bribe from Lan, but he did not advance Chinese interests.
According to senior doctors handling his case, no tests could show what illness he had and it appeared to be a case of poisoning, the Singapore Post reported.
Considering the sensitivity of the case, Vietnamese authorities have banned media outlets from publishing this story, attributing the deaths to natural causes. It is a well-known fact in Vietnam that there is a strong network of Chinese spies and almost all important facilities are infiltrated by these agents who are not afraid of extreme actions like poisoning the opponents. (ANI)

Maserati has teamed up with Mattel Inc’s Barbie to introduce a bespoke edition of its latest SUV – the Grecale.

The Fuoriserie Maserati Grecale is a Trofeo version with a 530 hp V6 Nettuno engine.

In “complete Barbie fashion,” a pink hue covers the car with subtle acid yellow lines inspired by the Trident’s racing history.

The exterior of the Barbie-branded SUV is sealed with an iridescent topcoat that creates a rainbow effect when the sun shines.

The black interior features full leather seats, dashboards, carpets and doors – accented with pink stitching – as well as branded headrests with the unique “B” emblem.

Maserati described the collaboration as “unconventional,” but said the benefit lies in its latest SUV, “designed to transform everyday driving experiences into something extraordinary, and was chosen by Barbie to fit her multi-faceted lifestyle, ranging from a business meeting to… a glamorous event”.

Designed as part of Trident’s Fuoriserie customization program, the Barbie Maserati Grecale will be available as an ultra-limited Fuoriserie edition in only two customized units worldwide.

Exclusively made to measure in the USA, 10% of the retail price goes to the Barbie Dream Gap Project – the Barbie brand’s ongoing global initiative that works with charities to create equal opportunities and break down barriers for girls.

More details on the second custom unit will be announced in 2023.

Maserati recently unveiled theirs new global retail concept, with the opening of a new space in Milan. It is a layer of the larger ones Maserati OTO (online to offline) retail experience.

This year, for the first time in my life, I felt the urge to buy a suit. It all started with Associate Attorney Woo, a Korean Netflix drama about Woo Young-woo, a young lawyer with Asperger’s Syndrome who works for one of South Korea’s law firms. Dressed in simple skirt and pantsuits in muted neutrals and pastels, Woo and her colleague Choi Su-yeon exude an aura of cool professionalism that I wanted to emulate.

I own a handful of blazers and formal pants, but what I craved was a proper, professional suit. My personal style is informal and driven by comfort, practicality and laziness, which means I’m not a power dresser. In late August, I met with a publicist who wore one of my most professional ensembles. He ended our conversation by jovially noting that I looked like this Dora the Explorer, the adventurous seven-year-old cartoon character. Flattering maybe, but also annoying. Time to buy a suit.

So I went to Selfridges, where I knew there would be a wide range of brands to choose from and a personal stylist could help me navigate. I’m a focused buyer and my ideal suit came with a set of non-negotiable requirements. It should look professional enough for the office and cost no more than £1,000. For this price I also wanted maximum versatility, so the jacket and pants had to be good enough to be worn on their own and for different occasions, from an office drink to a weekend night out.

In store, my eyes immediately fell on an oversized suit by Acne Studios in an intriguing ‘Hunter Green’ colorway, as well as a more fitted model in a lighter shade of khaki by Reformation. They looked like the kind of suits someone with confidence would wear, and while I don’t own many of them, I was curious to see if I could wear them. Then I stacked safer black and navy options and added two pinstripe suits that exuded a strong business flair.

In the dressing room, personal stylist Maxine gently but firmly urged me to try on samples in my actual size. I often buy a size up because it’s more comfortable and, in most cases, more flattering. However, when tightening, this trick doesn’t work, and as Maxine suggested, a tight fit is the right fit. Regardless of the size, however, I was swallowed up by Acne’s giant jacket. The oversized proportions and dropped shoulders might look stylish on someone with longer limbs, but at 5’7, I just looked like a kid who’d raided her father’s wardrobe.

I often buy a size up because it’s more comfortable and, in most cases, more flattering

The Reformation set was more flattering, made from soft and comfortable Lyocell, a lightweight fabric made from cellulosic fibers. I enjoyed the fit of the high-waisted pants—slim in the waist, loose in the leg—but the jacket was too anonymous to stand on its own. The overall feel was too similar to wearing pajamas, lacking the structured look I was hoping for in a suit.

I had a similar issue a few weeks later when I donned a black wool hopsack suit from Arket, the H&M-owned purveyor of minimalist staples known for being one of the best suiting options on the high street. The straight-leg pants had a nice stretchy effect, but came with an elasticated drawstring waist that made me feel underdressed. Many brands now offer formal pants models with casual wear details to improve comfort, but the effect can be sloppy. Besides, shouldn’t well-designed, well-designed trousers also be comfortable without borrowing from sportswear?

Back at Selfridges, I tried on a Theory Navy style, made from a stretchy and lightweight triacetate/polyester blend that was breezy and easy to wear, if a little plain. The tapered pants were comfortable, but the side pockets fluttered on my hips like two little flags. Maxine explained that it’s a common problem that can arise when pockets are sewn to the side seam, as well as when pants are too tight. It can be easily detached by closing the pockets, something Selfridges offers as part of its alteration service. But I didn’t want to give up the convenience of having pockets, so I moved on.

My next suit was a black set from Joseph – a double-breasted jacket with smart peak lapels and flowy, high-rise pants. Vertical pleats at the front and back of the pants helped lengthen the legs, and a side zip smoothed the front, avoiding the inevitable tummy bulge often created by front zips and buttons. I liked the strong character of the jacket and the fit of the pants, but unfortunately the thin fabric of the pants showed signs of everything I was wearing underneath.

I was afraid that a full pinstripe suit would be too extravagant to wear, but both options I tried on at Selfridges proved me wrong. The gray model from Copenhagen brand Remain Birger Christensen exudes confidence and professionalism with a double-breasted jacket, padded shoulders and classic trousers with straight legs and cropped ankles. I loved the comforting heaviness of the wool blend, but I knew it would prove too warm for my commute and I couldn’t imagine wearing the pants outside of the office.

the real one coup de foudre happened with a black pinstripe suit by Joseph. It had a similar fit to the model I’d tried on previously, but came in a mid-weight wool-elastane blend that solved the revealing problem its twin posed. This time, the mid-rise pants had a gentle flare at the bottom, adding an air of early risers that I, a teen on the rise, immediately liked. I imagined myself wearing the full suit with a tucked-in camisole or lightweight turtleneck to the office and the pants with a crop top to go out. The jacket would upgrade basic jeans and t-shirts and give me an alternative to my old mango blazer.

As I often do when trying to decide on an expensive purchase (my perfect suit costs £990), I tried it on again a few days later, this time on my own. I liked it even more than the first time, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy it. Over the past few years I’ve consciously tried to buy less and I couldn’t justify that purchase. But if I still think about it in a few months, I might buy it.

Be the first to find out about our latest stories – follow @financialtimesfashion on Instagram