Scarcity mindset and wardrobe investments

This morning was payday and I was looking at getting more work-from-home gear (because COVID), but caught myself pulling back a little bit and telling myself that I didn't have as much money as I thought I might after paying bills.

That's a scarcity mindset. 

I know I am more focused working from home when I'm dressed for work as opposed to dressed for the gym or the couch. I also know that I have a big gap in my wardrobe for things that are elevated above gym/couch/athleisure but still not the cardigans and dry-clean tops I've been investing in for going into the office/onto campus. (side note: why am I unwilling to wear dry clean clothes for myself and my own productivity?) So logic stands to reason that I should have no problem investing in clothes that help me be maximally productive, right?

But I see clothes buying as an expense rather than an investment, and low-to-medium key a selfish one at that. 

What's weird is that there are several facets of my life where I'm not at all in that scarcity mindset (e.g., home stuff, productivity tools, electronics). It's when it comes to things that benefit me and only me that I balk. Same reason I didn't discover my love of makeup until my late 30s - investing in that practice of self-care, mindfulness and creativity felt like a vain and unfruitful expenditure. Now, its something I do for no one other than me, even days when I won't see anyone else. Hell, I probably put on more makeup when I lived alone than I do now that I live with my partner. But clothes, that's some childhood stuff I gotta work through.