Fall Fashion: Google Searches Show Top Fashion Items

Trends from Rebecca Minkoff Fall/Winter ’16 at New York Fashion week show. ( Photo Source: Rebecca Minkoff)

How do we find out the fashion trends resonating with consumers this fall? That’s easy–look at what consumers are searching for on Google.  Google has released a market research report on the most searched fashion items for fall. How did Google put this research?  First, they looked at top volume queries related to the apparel category.   Then, Google researchers looked at their monthly volume from May 2014 to May 2016. The volume of searches in the apparel category gave researchers an idea of popular fashion items.  Research can even pinpoint the most popular items by searches by states.

Fall Fashion Trends most popular in Google search by State. (research via Google.)

Some trends rise during certain seasons. For Fall, Google has seen an uptick in searches for  these items:

• Kimono Dresses
• Rompers
• Coatigans
• Shirt Dresses
• Bomber Jackets
• Boho Dress (US Only)

Some items like biker pants and ripped jeans remain consistently high in search, despite season.

There are also fashion items that Google categorizes as “rising stars” like:

• Off-the-shoulder top
• Bodysuit
• Lace-up Top (U.S. Only)
• Bralette Coord (U.K. Only)
• Dashiki Dress

These are all things you will see in stock at fast fashion retailers like H&M and ASOS as will as high-end stores like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.  Below are the trends matched with items that we like from retailers.

Off-the-shoulder tops & dresses

The off the shoulder trend, once popularized by Bridgette Bardot is back.  There are “Bardot” off the shoulder dresses everywhere this season.  According to Google searchers, “The off-shoulder top is the highest volume “free-spirited” trend in both markets this year (US and UK)”   Even the Duchess of Cambridge has been spotted wearing an off the shoulder dress for an official engagement.

Sixties Styles Return: Flower Child Boho Dresses & Kimonos

Off-the-shoulder tops and dresses are trending, along with other flower-child styles like boho dresses and kimonos. The off-the-shoulder look has grown in both markets from December 2015 to May 2016—261% in the U.K. and 347% in the U.S.

Jumpsuits and Rompers

Searches for rompers are now spiking in areas across each country, not just major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and London.¹

“The playsuit/romper was already seeing high search interest in cities such as Omaha, Iowa City, and Lubbock by May 2015,” explained Google. “By May 2016, rompers and play suits have become more of a mainstream item.”  Blame celebrities like Gweynth Paltrow and Kate Hudson for popularizing this item. Rompers can be cute to be sure, but some of them just remind us of onsies for adults.

Other trends in this fall that are top searches in Google are Bomber Jackets (see our picks) and faux fur jackets.