Closet Psyche: The Gift Card Saga With Imani Randolph

The classic gift card warp...plus an audio component for your commutes.

Welcome to Closet Psyche, a weekly series in which I schmatta shrink aka analyze chic people through their NEVERWORNS. 

Imani Randolph not Rudolph aka @champagnemani

Today’s Closet Psyche guest is model and consultant Imani Randolph who I met about a year ago on a very fun, sleep-deprived trip to Scandi-town aka Copenhagen for a Ganni #NEVERWORNS episode. Imani truly lives her closet, which happens to be very Instagrammable but far from categorized, core-dom. She has a killer range of everyday aspirational fundamentals like a fab black pantsuit, a saucy mini skirt, and sleek Nike pants but then adds a touch of experimental flair with a flashy It girl bag or a freaky shoe. A few weeks ago we ran into each other at a party where she was wearing the most wickedly sexy black hooded top that was plucked out of a Studio 54 dance floor. The other day, I popped onto her Instagram…a goddess vision in a smoldering Mirror Palais little black dress. Young and fun…I wanted to be out on the town in both of her ensembles. 

I did a breakdown below of Imani’s Closet Psyche case but there is an impromptu audio interview. (This one was done on a flip phone, so the audio sounds like it’s from 1993). We talk graduating from TikTok dressing, uncomfortable shoes, bunion-core, and more. Imani and I had a REALLY off-the-cuff casual chat, which although was hectic, I thought was really informative and it was fun to re-listen to her figuring out why she hasn’t been wearing the two below pieces. The editing or lack thereof is funky, but I kind of…love it.

Name: Imani Randolph

Profession: Model and consultant.

Describe your shopping style: “I shop mostly online but when I shop vintage, I mainly shop in person.”

What is the NEVERWORNS item? Bottega Veneta knit red shoes and an SC103 link bag. 

Where did you buy it? Nordstrom

When did you buy it? 2020 (shoes); 2021 (bag)

Why did you buy it? Imani bought both the Bottega shoes and the SC103 bag with a gift card. The Bottega shoes where what Imani considered an “investment piece” and thought they were representative of the new era of the Italian brand. “I felt like it was at the early stage of New Bottega,” says Imani, adding. “And it felt like a very exciting moment for the brand, and like they were doing a lot of really fresh things.” As for that SC103 earthy link bag that’s hanging off the shoulder of every girlie below 14th street? “I love the bags every time I see them,” says Imani. “I’m a fan.” 

The SC103 Bag

When was the last time you wore it? Shoes: “I’ve never worn them outside. I’ve worn them in my apartment.” Been there. Imani has worn the bag a few times. Also been there. 

Why didn’t you wear them? The shoes were simply…not a fit. The no-wear-Bottegas came down to “they’re not comfortable,” according to Imani. As for the bag, Imani slowly realized that she wasn’t jazzed about it due to the cross-body construction and length and color, which she stressed was a her thing, not a bag thing! Please don’t be mad at us, SC103. 

So why did you think you kept them? “I’m just not very comfortable in heels. But I just felt something about them. Also, I’ll give myself a little bit more credit because of the netting detail. They really remind me of the Rasta knit tank. They feel very Jamaican to me,” says Imani, who is half-Jamaican, adding. “So I think maybe I also have this vision of a future self wearing these shoes on vacation.” As for the bag? Imani texted me later saying this: “😭 ummm because i’m so confident in my styling abilities that I feel like I could find a way to make it werk.” How many times have we all said this to ourselves!

The Bottega Veneta heels

The NEVERWORNS Diagnosis

1. Ultimately, Imani was afflicted with Gift Card Visions, a syndrome in which our shopping choices are warped by the potential of a gift card or a store credit. Typically, we feel more loose with our shopping choices when we are generously saddled with a gift card or a hefty store credit. It’s no-strings money. Monopoly moolah that can allow us to make more risky decisions when buying things because the purchase doesn’t necessarily impact our actual checking account. 

I’ll use myself as an example: I like to wear either a simple black jeans and a sweater, or like, outrageous oligarch wife garb, but this time, I’m armed with a gift card. Is now the best moment to make the decision to start buying those Old Celine Yves Klein blob shrouds because they kind of actually do look cool? Maybe I could be that girl who wears Old Celine and now is my opportunity to really, like, dive in. And it may seem easier for me to become an Old Celine girl because I’m not actually spending my own funds on the piece. But have I ever tried it on? No. Have I even ever bought Old Celine? Absolutely not. Would I ever think about buying this item with my own legal tender? Nein! And I guarantee you that if I did buy this piece, it would be languishing in my closet for years to come. 

My example may be extreme, but the sentiment that we need to try something and fill a craving is real. Writer and editor Lynette Nylander had a similar scenario when she got a credit to [REDACTED] resale platform and bought a print-heavy pink Chanel sweater noting, “buying Chanel seemed like the right thing to do,” she says about the double-C knit that eventually ended up in a group sale. “Credit makes you feel like you need to get something NOW.”

So, what’s with this clickity-click urgency? My husband, who is far from a clothes horse, has even fallen under the spell of a gift card himself. He weighed in, bringing up that the rush to buy may have to do with the expiration date on gift cards. I’ve certainly had a gift card that I’ve forgotten about, remembered, and then voila, expired! Free money left on the table. 

For me, having a gift card comes down to the feeling that there is a fresh cash-like entity in our pockets and we need to figure out a way to spend it ASAP. After all, who hasn’t treated themselves to something the moment their paycheck has hit their account? The treat can be big or small. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. With a gift card, the effect is the same, except it isn’t real money and it is specific to a single place, which exacerbates the urgency to spend but limits our options in what we can actually buy. This is how we get influenced to buy something that, well, we’ll never wear.

The NEVERWORNS Prescription

Don’t worry, you’re not alone: Everyone who ever has had a gift card has been lovingly afflicted with this ailment. Imani stated an epiphany nugget during our conversation, saying, “I also realistically probably would not have bought these if I had to with all of my own money.” There’s your answer. To help alleviate Gift Card Visions, the key is to start thinking about shopping with gift cards or store credits as if you’re spending your own cash…but two weeks since your last paycheck to lessen that initial wave of direct-deposit excitement. Here is a tip: Every time you are debating buying something with a gift card, take a breath, walk away from the computer (or leave your phone), and imagine the funds coming out of your own pocket and really think to yourself whether or not the piece works within your wardrobe. Apply just a little bit of friction before you make a decision and your wardrobe will thank you later.