the buzz log

New York Fashion Week swept to another stiletto-studded close. Once again, it left Manhattan littered with overwrought assistant editors, empty Diet Coke cans, and ferocious buzz about fashion designer Marc Jacobs.

Jacobs is considered the king of American cool, and he's got the buzz (and the complaints) to prove it. The show started two hours late. The clothes were "a freak show"—or "amazing." The designer, who had recently emerged from rehab, was spotted knocking back alcohol—or not. And bad-for-him ex-boyfriend Jason Preston appeared on the master's arm at the after-party.

Demand for "marc jacobs" more than doubled in Search. Lookups spiked for his handbags and his second-tier line, Marc by Marc Jacobs. Even the treacherous but little known Preston registered an uplift.

In Yahoo! News, where fashion-related queries are even less about purses and more about paparazzi, searchers wanted stories on the catwalk ("marc jacobs spring 2008"), dirt on who was sitting in the front row ("posh spice marc jacobs"), and the low-down on the seemingly too-small shoes the models had on their feet ("marc jacobs heels").

Gossip or not, if just a handful of the stylistas searching for "marc jacobs" make an online purchase, this is one American designer who's guaranteed a long and prosperous reign in fashion—and Buzz.