A file picture shows Taylor Swift performing on stage in February. Photo: AFP
Music lovers are often inspired by the outfits of their favourite singers when crafting their own looks. But when it comes to fashion, they prefer some music greats to others, as a new analysis reveals.
Online fashion retailer Boohoo has analysed the average number of Google searches for the sartorial style of around a hundred well-known female singers.
The result is a ranking of the top 10 artistes whose looks are the most sought-after by internet users in the US.
Taylor Swift tops the list, with an average of 107,442 monthly Google searches in the US. This is hardly surprising, given that the singer was voted "Person of the Year for 2023" by Time magazine.
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Swift's clothing style has evolved considerably since the release of her eponymous debut album in 2006.
Back then, the pop star had a country-inspired look, referencing the musical genre she favoured at the time. Her wardrobe has become increasingly sophisticated over the years, as have her stage outfits.
The ensembles she wears on her major (and very lucrative) The Eras Tour, are closely scrutinised by her fans, who comment on them endlessly on social networks.
More surprisingly, the second- and third-ranked singers are not at the peak of their careers, unlike Swift. In fact, they were at the height of their fame several decades ago.
In second place comes Stevie Nicks, singer-songwriter of the band Fleetwood Mac, followed in third by Aaliyah, the R&B star who died in 2001.
Nicks and her Fleetwood Mac bandmates returned to the spotlight in 2020, when their hit Dreams went viral on TikTok.
It's likely that internet users have been researching the now septuagenarian singer's rock-n-roll fashion style, after seeing Dreams appear in their friends' TikTok posts or Spotify playlists.
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Meanwhile, Aaliyah no doubt owes her third position to the Y2K revival, which signals the return of all things 2000s in music and fashion alike.
Nostalgic fashionistas are inspired by her outfits, which mostly consist of crop tops, low-rise pants and smoked-lens glasses, when putting together a Y2K wardrobe.
Interestingly, some of the music stars featured in the ranking are fashion designers in their own right.
This is the case for Beyonce (number four), who launched the Ivy Park sportswear label in 2016, and Rihanna (number nine).
The latter created the Fenty brand in 2019, in partnership with LVMH. But the luxury group announced the suspension of Fenty's ready-to-wear business in 2021 to focus on the label's beauty and lingerie segments. – AFP Relaxnews
