Describe an item of clothing you purchased that you didn’t like – IELTS Cue Card

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Sample Answer 1

I am an avid shopper. Every other day, I like to go shopping for clothes for my family and me. Sometimes we make purchases we don’t need and subsequently regret them. As an impulsive shopper, I frequently purchase items that appear appealing at first but turn out to be useless afterwards.

During my most recent trip to Thailand, I went to the city shopping center and bought a dress from a well-known store. On the mannequin, the outfit looked ravishing. As a result, I decided to give it a shot. I was ecstatic when I tried it on and saw how well it fit. It was a gorgeous light blue gown with gold and white hues. I bought the outfit right away.

When I got home and showed it to my sister, I was incredibly upset to see that the item of clothing was nothing more than a cheap costume. In my haste to acquire the garment, I failed to see a little hole in it, hardly noticeable from a distance. Moreover, I paid a high price for the outfit. However, I was able to get it repaired at a local boutique. But, to add to my dissatisfaction, the patterns on the front and back of the garment were ruined by the washing process, and some of the fabric was also damaged. But then I was stuck with the dress and had nothing to do. The seller refused to refund the price as they did not have such refund policies. Since it was my first visit to the country, I had no clue what to expect when shopping, so I headed to the Central West Shopping Complex, one of Thailand’s major malls, which sells branded clothing, but I had an awful experience.

Sample Answer 2

I’m not very beauty conscious and don’t care much about the clothing item I choose to wear. I wear whatever I like. So, here, I’d like to talk about a piece of clothing which I purchased with much excitement and ended up hating during my last visit to the National Capital of India, New Delhi. My friend and I went to the cheap-yet-stylish merch at Sarojini Nagar Market, where I was amazed to find almost everything, from cute tops to all-out dresses, suede bags, hipster shades, cool belts, satin stoles & scarves, and my favourite cartoon and anime printed tees at a one-stop-shop. Surprisingly, everything we liked was available at reasonable prices, so I purchased the cartoon-printed Donald Duck Crew-neck-t-shirt, which looked trendy, while my friend bought a lot of other stuff. Made entirely with cotton fabric, the t-shirt was best for casual wear. After using it for a day, I gave it away for a wash, and to my surprise, all the Donald duck prints in the t-shirt faded away with one detergent wash, leaving away only the fabric spots. I was highly disappointed with the quality of the fabric used in the t-shirt and with the tactics used by the seller, who brainwashed me to buy cheap clothes at low prices. After this incident, I refrained from buying anything from the street as it made me understand that some items may save money because they’re cheap, but their quality will always be poor.

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Vocabulary

1. Merch 

• Meaning: short for merchandise 
  Eg: The new merch store was inaugurated by a local celebrity. 

2. Refrain 

• Meaning: stop oneself from doing something 
  Eg: Tina refrained from snacking.

3. Casual wear:

• Meaning: dress code suitable for everyday use 
  Eg: “Where can I find the Indian casual wear store?”, asked the lady. 

4. Brainwash

• Meaning: pressurize (someone) into adopting radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible means. 
  Eg: The stepmother tried to brainwash the little girl against her father. 

5. One-stop-shop 

• Meaning: a one-stop source where multiple services or products are offered to the customers 
  Eg: The Dubai Mall is a one-stop-shopping mall, where you can get everything. 

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