AP: "Frugality among consumers is outliving recession"

I enjoyed this article which explores how the rapidly expanding cult of frugality, born out of the recession, seems likely to persist through the recovery.  Consumer spending is still stunted in comparison to economy-wide growth, and savings rates are still considerably higher than before the recession.

The most interesting tidbit from the article, I thought, was the data concerning luxury spending.  High-end retailers are making bank as the economy begins to normalize, "Nordstrom's revenue in stores open at least one year jumped 16.8 percent last month. Saks' surged 12.7 percent."

The author attributes this to wealthy consumers feeling more comfortable spending again, but I wonder if the cult of frugality could itself be a contributor.  The frugality and simple-living blogs extol the virtues of buying quality, not quantity, especially in regards to clothing.  (It's a message I've taken to heart.  I buy mostly second hand, but I'm buying the cast-offs of Nordstrom's and Saks' shopping sprees.)

Is my hypothesis totally off the wall?  Has the recession (or whatever inspired your frugal journey) altered your relationship with luxury goods?  Are you more or less likely to buy "quality"?