Could you be a Bergdorf?

It's a department store just south of Central Park, a Manhattan equivalent of Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Harrods all rolled into one.

It was founded in the late 19th century by two friends, Herman Bergdorf and Edwin Goodman, and by the mid-1950s it had become the most fashionable store in New York.

Today, it isn't the most cutting-edge, but it has enormous cachet: you go there to buy the latest Chanel handbag rather than some funky designer. The doormen are among the most polite in New York, and BBs spend most of the afternoon at the instore beauty spa: a head-to-toe beauty package is only £350.

COULD YOU BE A BB?

So, how do you qualify? It's rather discriminating, as Plum details

Habitat: always the front row at fashion shows by Oscar, Michael, Carolina and Bill (that's de la Renta, Kors, Herrara and Blass).

Age: twenties, or very early thirties at the absolute oldest. One well-known BB has been 23 for over eight-and-a-half years now.

Breeding: grandfather started major merchant bank/cosmetics brand/aerospace empire.

Dress size: six at the largest. If you get onto the front row of a fashion show and you're not thin, you need a lot of personality to make up for it.

Vacation: grandmother's house in Palm Beach; best friend's private island; staying home in apartment (such a treat because you never do).

Classic fashion tip: honey-coloured alligator stilettos. They disappear to the naked eye on elongated legs.

Shopping philosophy: always buy your own clothes, or get them sent over from the designer retail. BBs never borrow from friends.

Best friends: other BBs. They don't converse with anyone sitting behind them in the front row - it's very bad for their necks to twist back like that.