PART 1: Shopping and fashion items

Discussion: Follow-up questions (when/ where/ how …) & Techniques (Big picture:
Popularity/ Current trends; Example: Personal/ General; Two-side; Situation: it depends)
1. Do you like shopping?
+ Answer (paraphrase): I’ve always been a shopaholic/ avid shopper
>< (phủ định theo so sánh hơn nhất): I’m not the most enthusiastic shopper in the world
+ (Why?): It all comes/ boils down to a few reasons
- First, it brings about some relaxation, it’s one of the things I do to find/ seek respite
=> Usually, I’d hit the mall at the weekend, at least to pick up/ shop for some
groceries. Sometimes, I’d also treat myself to a nice shirt, if I feel up to it.
- Plus, shopping can be an opportunity to bond with my friends (bonding time) =>
Some among my besties (some gals/ dudes in my gang/ my posse) share the
same shopping craze with me, so we’d often go looking for fancy boutiques, at
least to window-shop.
- It sounds weird, but hunting for stuff that are on sale is my thing => So, I’m
constantly going on the Internet, trolling for information about shopping sprees,
so as to score some bargains.
- By nature, I’m an introvert, so in order to better myself socially, I’ve taken to going
out a lot more, esp. to shopping centers where there’ll be lots of people. As a result,
I’ve grown a lot more confident, more outgoing. So yeah.
- Because I’m studying law, I’d usually hit the mall to practice my argumentative
skills, specifically I’d try to bargain/ strike a bargain as aggressively as I could.
This also has something to do with how I can’t stand the fact that some people
are trying to rip me off.
2. How often do you shop? (why/ example)
=> … once a week. To go shopping many times, or even just going to the mall, may
be costly, because brands tend to display eye-catching offerings to entice
customers to make a purchase. And since I’m only a college student and I need to
spend within my means/ tighten my belt/ not to throw money around.
=> I shop for things a lot of times in a week. For example, I’ve just gone to the mall
three times in a row last week. I guess, it’s just my thing, that whenever I’m down in
the dumps, going shopping with some friends is the only thing that could cheer me
up. I remember one time I got dumped by my ex-boyfriend, and some retail
therapy could really help me get over that jerk.
3. Are you using any types of accessory? (handbag, glasses, bracelets, earlets, make-
up items, satchel, folded wallet …)
+ Answer: Definitely, because I’m a girl, and I’m really into girly stuff and
accessories.
+ Discussion: It’s the thingy that’s used to house your credit cards, some cash
and personal ID. It’s actually a hand-me-down/ present from my big brother,
and since it’s a designer piece of item, it’s something with a lot of
sentimental value that I really treasure. (appreciate)
=> [extra: handmade clock] It’s a present from my best friend, Kim. And since we go
way back, it’s something that, even though it’s only handmade with cheap materials,
envelopes lots of sentimental value. It’s still something I treasure to this day,
because she clearly put all her heart and soul into making it.

PART 2: Describe a person who dresses well (style) => [celebrity/ a person close to you]
 + Intro: Comment about the question
=> [Hissing]: Wow, I’m really stumped here, because I’m not the most enthusiastic talker
when it comes to fashion. And to be frank, my sense of fashion/ taste in fashion is a bit
tasteless/ bland. Having said that, it’s not like I’ve never seen anyone who is a
fashionable/ stylish dresser.
+ Who? => [Background]
It’s [celeb] that came right off the top of my head.
First thing first, lemme paint you a picture about him:
(optional => GDragon):
Career-wise, he’s an internationally acclaimed rapper from one of the most well-known
boy bands from Korea, and he’s now at the pinnacle of his career.
(main): In terms of his influences on the fashion world, he’s one of the brand ambassadors
of Channel, which is a giant in fashion. So, he usually features in world-scale prestigious
fashion shows, not to mention how he frequently emerges on the cover of famous fashion
magazines.
=> Individually speaking, he’s also a great trend-setter with a lot of unique/ one-of-a-kind
fashion styles, and fairly speaking, only him, and him alone could pull off those styles. As
for others trying to dress like him, it feels like they’re trying too hard.
+ How he dresses?
So, one of the highlights that will forever be stamped on my memory is the one when he
dons a leather jacket, which is kinda revealing; coupled/ matched with it is a pair of ripped
jeans; up top, he puts on a huge hat that looks like a ball of fur. Overall, he’s dashing as
always, and upstage he turns every eye/ head.
What really captures me about him is the fact that he exudes an air of badassery and
nonchalance.
=> I wish I could someday be able to glam up as nicely as him.
—-------------------
(*Bonus*): baggy => make a cut-out; breathable/ porous >< stuffy; workhorse/ enduring
>< flimsy; clothes that are prone to wrinkles.

PART 3: Fashion and Consumerism

1. Why do people buy clothes from well-known brands? (why are people following the
latest trends in fashion?)
=> [The fact that people are pursuing/ chasing the latest trends in fashion] boils down/
can be attributed to several reasons.
+ (show-off): First, people buy designer/ branded goods to show off their material
status (~wealth) => Since clothes that are from prestigious brands all over the
world such as Channel, Gucci are considered as items of statement, due to the fact
that they’re usually crazy expensive/ off-the-roof, wearing them is proof of how the
wearers are able to afford such luxuries.
=> (*) catch/ keep up with the joneses: they still wanna make a statement
about themselves => Instead of buying the Real McCoy, they settle with/
resort to buying knock-offs.
+ (credibility): Second, wearing luxury items such as branded clothes or fancy
watches is sometimes to show financial security, which is not necessarily a bad
thing when it comes to CEOs or business owners. In some way, it’s to boost their
credibility, because if they otherwise dress casually/ thoughtlessly in formal
 settings such as meeting business partners, it’s hard for them to land/ score/ strike/
seal a deal with those partners.

2. Do you think it is a waste of money to buy expensive clothes?

Impulsive buying comes from either being influenced by advertising or the illusion/
delusion that by purchasing the items advertised, people could become someone else of
higher classes.
=> Some are buying stuff that they even have no use for => wasteful buying decisions;
these monetary resources could otherwise be better spent on things that make our lives
better, or to better ourselves, for example, intellectually. More deserving purposes such
as donating to charity, funding green campaigns would make our spending more
purposeful; Or in other ways, we could, instead of throwing money around on unnecessary
items, sign up for useful study services online.