Does having nice things make you happy personally?

[TheOGCCL]

I”m in a period of reflection about my spending habits with clothes (let’s leave aside all the beauty products). I’ve long been on the no/low buy threads, I started one year’s.

Modern wisdom seems to say that, after a certain point to make sure you are warm and covered, buying new stuff doesn’t make you any happier. That we are all victims of the capitalist hedonistic treadmill just wanting more acquisition. That this week’s new top has an enjoyable novelty but that fades fast. This board is fully of people decluttering things they probably shouldn’t have bought.

But when I do spend money on the right things I think it does make a difference to the way I feel about myself and how easy it is to get dressed. Do I need to do some work on myself or do I just like having nice things? How do you reconcile spending on clothes knowing it’s mostly discretionary? How do you give yourself permission? How do you know when to stop? (Obviously finances are one big lever but I’m more interested in others).

I’m an odd shape due to a big belly so if I find something nice that flatters me I will buy in several colours. People comment that I dress well for my size and shape but that takes a lot of trial and error. If I find something that suits it does bring me a lot of joy.
if I was stick thin and tall I’d definitely be a shopaholic for clothes

People say that to you? That you dress well for your size and shape? How rude.

This dress was my first-ever happy garment 😆 I had it in red and blue.

Usually when I’m moaning to friends about my shape and size, they say I dress well and always look nice. It’s said as a compliment not out of the blue

@GarlicFound Me too!!! In red tartan. I remember it being a bit itchy!

If things in my life are making me unhappy - health, family, money, work etc- then no amount of nice things will make me happy.

If my life is generally happy then nice things give me an added happy boost.

I just got some new bootcuts and a very slim fitting shirt in the M&S sale and felt like Rachel Green with a hop in my step.

@GarlicFound Oh my god, memories! That was my first-ever unhappy garment!! My mum made me wear it out for a whole day and I was miserable! So itchy I couldn’t wait to rip it off in the evening. Think I was about four year’s old. I can still feel it on me now over fifty years later!

Oh, no! I'm sorry for prompting an unhappy memory! I don't remember them being itchy, but they were a sort of fleecy nylon iirc, so can well believe they were.

My willingness to suffer for fashion clearly started young 😏

It's interesting how many people don't want to think about getting dressed in the morning. I love thinking about it. I like deciding what silhouette I'm going to go for and mentally scanning my shoes for a match. I also like having nice things to choose from, and they don't have to be versatile. "Nice" doesn't mean expensive to me though. Often it's just denim that is nice and thick or a jumper with absolutely no acrylic in it.
I am a believer in spending on coats and shoes. My Burberry wool coat is a decade old and my favourite thing in my wardrobe.

I'm just starting to enjoy wearing good quality clothes. When I was overweight, clothes were just something I put on to cover up. It was always the cheaper, the better. Now I'm a healthy weight, I'm enjoying cute size 10 tops and size 12 trousers that fit well, I have a vinted addiction.

I’m also the same with clothes and have a vinted addiction and I also lost weight,

I buy onky clothes new or in very good condition, and Its always higher end, Reiss, me and em, Massimo Dutti, cos, max Mara etc, and I’ve changed my dress style since losing weight, I’m now wearing much more current stuff.

i work from home, but often on video calls, I feel really lucky and enjoy having so many lovely clothes to pick from, I always wear something lovely, do my hair and make up, and take time over my appearance, I spent too long in cheap stretchy black shit, I can’t actually remember the last time I wore all black now.

Buying Liz Earle products makes me happy, I’ve used them for many years, it suits my skin, and it feels like a little treat.
Buying clothes is a chore, which is why I don’t have many, and I don’t particularly like what I do have but they fit and stop me being naked.
However last summer I bought two dresses ( I don’t wear skirts and dresses) and I felt rather slinky in them! I was swooshing around like Stevie Nicks!

Not so much clothing for me but I love things that elevate everyday experiences. So using a moisturiser that smells and feels nice on my skin. Wearing perfume every day. Drinking from a nice glass. Using a big fluffy blanket on the sofa instead of a thin fleece one. Having a bath with a spa brand bubble bath. Buying coffee beans that make a great coffee. None of them have to be expensive but they make me happier.

With clothing there are definitely things that hang better or fit better so I can see that investing in pieces that do this would help you feel better overall. I’m just not at a point where I know what those things are for myself yet!

Absolutely it makes me happy having nice things to wear. I have bought a lot of stuff from Vinted over the last couple of years and charity shopped all the old clothes that I realised - I never wear you and if I saw you in a shop on sale for £5 I wouldn’t buy you!
However, I think my definition of ‘nice’ is different from a lot of people on here as it’s not necessarily particularly expensive or high quality clothes. It’s about what sparks joy. I avoid black and grey as they don’t flatter me and love cheerful colours which can also be more flattering if I pick the right ones. And everything has to be the right shape to work with other things I own and make me not feel dowdy. I now have a summer wardrobe that makes me happy, and a collection of winter jumpers and t-shirts that mean I can be happy having nice everyday clothes to wear in winter and spring. Smart clothes outside summer are a bit more of a struggle but I don’t need those so often.

@GarlicFound I wore a sleeved vest under that dress but it was not a soft fabric.

Unequivocally, yes. I buy nice things for me and my home. I wouldn't be happy in a hair shirt regardless of circumstances. I enjoy quality.

I love it too. When I first discovered this board, I was surprised at how often capsule wardrobes where everything matches, colour analysis and personal stylists were recommended as ways of taking all the thinking out of getting dressed. For me, it's a creative outlet.

@OhDear111 and @Daisygrass
I grew up near the Ladybird factory. My mum, and the street, bought a load of bargain dresses from a man who'd got hold of surplus stock literally out the back of his van.
A month later Watchdog did a segment on a clothing heist from Ladybird.

It was robust, high quality fabrics and pattern cutting with plenty of material to let down the hem. My kids have never had anything like it's longevity.

The history of Ladybird.

The ladybird illustrations are delightful.

www.woolworthsmuseum.co.uk/fashion-ladybirdhistory.htm

Like a few previous posters I’ve lost weight and having nice things to wear and actually taking an interest in my style and not just choosing anything that’s “fine” is bringing me huge joy! Most of my stuff is from Vinted but I’ve gone back to the more alternative style I loved in my teens and I’m having so much fun with it

I reacted to your comment and then saw we are name sisters 😌, so had to comment!

Well done to you. I have lost a smidgeon of weight myself but not enough to warrant new clothes really. But hurray to your weight loss and newly re-found love of alternative clothes! I am drawn to a bit of grown up goth myself

Having good clothes, footwear, bag and jewellery brings me a lot of pleasure - especially if they were a bargain
It took me years to find my style and what suits my body shape and some of my classic pieces I’ve had for years and won’t date
Today I’m wearing a jaeger wool coat that I’ve had for over 10 years - it’s an unusual colour and 2 people have already commented on how lovely it is - made my day
Having the right clothes for right occasion also makes me happy - I’ve got an important work meeting tomorrow so have already selected what I’m wearing - a few days ago I was asked at last minute to a wedding (upgrade to full day) immediately I knew what I could wear and feel good in
I bought myself a stunning aquamarine and diamond ring for a big birthday a few years ago and it makes me happy when I wear it

Ladybird were of course a brand before Woolies got anywhere near them. They didn’t wear out and were hand me downs in our house.

Obviously not luxury though!

Yes, but not thing I wear, they’re too transient. Furniture, china, books are my nice things.

If I don't look 'right' then I don't feel so happy when I'm out and about. I like to look good, like 'me' and wear things that express that. If my hair is a bit lank and rubbish, that doesn't make me feel good. I feel like I can look outwards and get on with my day and not think about myself too much once I'm dressed well and have my make-up on (not on weekends).

So for me, having nice things to wear is part of getting me ready for the world, I hate going out not dressed quite right or looking bad, I wouldn't say it makes me unhappy, but it's hard to have a sparkling fun day if you don't feel at least reasonably coherent looks-wise, for me anyway.