This past weekend, the Financial Times published a report that gives some insight into the slow growth that is happening in the U.S. luxury and high-end retail industries:

Richard Hastings, retail strategist at Global Hunter Securities, said that roughly half of the 80 per cent of Americans fully employed were not affected by the depressed housing market and were now more ready to spend as they had become less concerned about their own jobs.

This could be seen as a a quickening of the pace of economic recovery in the U.S. I wrote previously that the trends happening in places such as Silicon Valley suggests that Americans with expendable income are regaining the confidence to spend it.

Tracey Travis, chief financial officer of Polo Ralph Lauren, said the change in climate has mean the company has “slowly begun to see the gradual return of our core luxury customer”.

Conclusions are being drawn from the release of January retail sales figures.

The monthly sales numbers offered further indications of returning demand for prestige and luxury goods, with Saks and Neiman Marcus, the luxury fashion department stores, reporting increases of 6.8 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively

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Neiman Marcus, which operates about 43 luxury fashion stores serving the most affluent US consumers, said that its strongest categories included women’s couture clothing and precious jewellery.

This isn’t a return to form for the Lambda personalities. Rather, the Thetas are opening their wallets for the high end items that they denied themselves in the last year, whether out of frugality or a desire not to be seen spending lavishly while others suffered.

However a small up-tick in sales won’t be enough to level out the market to pre-recession levels. Only after sustained growth over a number of quarters would be it be wise to begin thinking that the luxe industry has begun a full recovery.

For that to happen, Lambda personalities will need to get in on the action. Reports suggest that may be happening soon. But, given the number of false dawns we’ve seen during the recession, real recovery must be seen to be believed.

As the financial crisis threatens to wipe out the global financial system, times are tough for Wall Street and Main Street alike. How is the crisis affecting the luxury goods industry? According to Bain & Co, while certain niches have seen a dip, the luxury marketplace as a whole remains increasingly strong in the face of economic collapse.

Moet & Chandon, for instance, views the current financial chaos as just a hiccup in the long history of political, social, and economic crises—all of which the Champagne house has survived. Luxury products, they argue, are the most desirable during times of distress, where people hit hardest need something to hope for while those of extreme wealth will always have cash to spare for indulgences.

Similar sentiments ring true throughout the luxury market. Another article points to stability of the luxury car, where interest in Ferrari’s new $250,000 car hasn’t waned a bit, and Bentley sales grew by 20% last year. Luxury car companies are also moving away from countries worst hit by the crisis, focusing on expansion into emerging markets like India, China, and Russia.

However, such optimism may be subdued if the crisis continues at this rate. Forbes predicts that while luxury retailers avoided the first downturn, they are “far from immune.” The article predicts that upscale chains (such as Sak’s and Neiman Marcus, who saw September sales fall 11% and 16%, respectively) may need to discount products up to 20% over the holiday season.

What does this mean for you? While the crisis may demand a closer eye on your wallet, don’t think luxury will go to the wayside—it may just be on sale.