"Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking."
Fashion fans will recognise these immortal words as one of Meryl Streep's most cutting quips in David Frankel's The Devil Wears Prada.
The painfully stylish rom-com shone a light on the blood, sweat and tears shed by assistants, stylists, designers, and editors around the globe, as they strive to curate the season's hottest trends.
And while Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour (Meryl's supposed muse) is undoubtedly a powerhouse in deciding what items will sit in Bloomingdales and Macys, you have to wonder who has a say in things closer to home.
Who chooses the vast collection of shoes, dresses and shirts sitting in the aisles of Penneys? Who decides the season's must-have and the year-round staples that will be picked up on Mary's Street?
Well, wonder no more. Inside Penneys is a new six-part series that takes viewers behind the scenes of the iconic Irish brand.
From retail staff running the shop floor, to management in Global HQ, the documentary will give viewers a look into the planning, buying, designing, and strategising that goes on behind-the-scenes.
This includes planning for a major new store in Dundrum as well as expansion plans for its Patrick Street store in Cork, which is due a major facelift.
In the first episode, viewers will meet the brand's Global Concept & Fashion Trend Lead, John McCormack.
We caught up with the trend forecaster to find out more about the documentary and his fascinatingly fashionable job.
"I predict the future," quips John, "from a fashion viewpoint."
"I suppose, the role has grown in so far that trends are sometimes just concepts and sometimes a concept is just a glimmer in the distance - and you just have to expand on that."
From tracking "trend arches" that will last a couple of seasons, to spotting the movies and memes that will influence every day outfits (Hi, Barbie), McCormack says he is constantly looking at what people are wearing.
"I do speak in visuals," he explains. "We're looking ahead to Autumn/Winter 2024, and I do think in characters: Who is this person? What are they wearing? What are they doing?"
"Remember Euphoria? That was big," he continues. "I became obsessed with it because the producers and the writers came of age in the 1990s, and there were all these reference points like how Jules' wings were inspired by Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.
"I think popular culture really has that impact on what we wear, but you don't really know it until you're in the middle of it."
Aside from a surprising and short-lived career move into pensions, McCormack says he always been attracted to creativity, earning his arts degree before studying fashion at the Grafton Academy.
"I didn't come out of the womb with a sewing machine, but I should give credit to my parents for nurturing my talents," he laughs. "I have an arts degree in history and geography and I think in the long-term that has stood to me because it's about taking in information, digesting it, and creating something new."
With over 10 years of experience in Penneys, the trend forecaster says that he is constantly finding new sources of inspiration, whether it be thrift stores in New York or street style in Tokyo.
"It only takes one spark to cause a ripple effect, and the process has been sped up by social media," he explains. "It used to take longer for a trend to move out into the population, but now a trend could happen within days."
Rather than chasing every micro-trend to hit TikTok, though, McCormack says he focuses on looks that he believes will have longevity.
"At the moment we're talking about low-key luxury - Succession was the poster child for that - which sits at the high-end but can translate into high street. It's about how the palettes are neutral and then you're very clever in injecting colour every so often."
The biggest trend he can share for 2024, however, is a welcome move into more sustainable style.
"We're moving away from sharp breaks," he says, explaining that Penneys / Primark hope to house "an evolution of styles and colours" that can be built upon, encouraging shoppers to avoid shopping for items that will be out of style by the first wear.
Watch Inside Penneys on RTÉ One at 8:30pm on Tuesday, Jan 9.
