into the documentary, producer Jean Doumanian claims that shops like Bergdorf Goodman are essential to the American dream, pushing people to work harder because they aspire to “bigger and better things”. She may be right, but it seems a sad comment if expensive shoes are indeed what ultimately drive the development of modern Western society.

Politics aside, Scatter My Ashes… does have the whiff of propaganda about it. The “frequently outrageous” interviews promised in the blurb turn out to be a parade of complacent employees and fawning designers which even Joan Rivers fails to enliven much. Viewers will learn what Yoko Ono and Elizabeth Taylor gave as Christmas gifts, and there is a brief but hilarious introduction to personal shopper Betty Halbreich who is as legendary for her barbed tongue as her impeccable taste, but there is not a single critical voice to be heard when it comes to the shop itself.

The ongoing process of designing the famous seasonal window displays is the richest thread woven throughout the film. David Hoey, the shop’s Senior Director of Visual Presentation, is clearly in love with his craft. The film closes with the unveiling of the finished displays entirely living up to their description as “a form of fine installation art”. It is the single moment most likely wrap viewers in the sort of warm fuzzy glow that the makers were obviously aiming for, but which so many can’t afford to experience firsthand.