the buzz log
Mad Hatters
The new "it" accessory for fall could be cool-weather practical as well as stylish. We're talking the hat, which may be restored from mere head-covering to the status of fashion statement. Searches for fanciful "hats" and practical "caps" have been off the hook the last 30 days.
Brand Loyalty
Coming off an online surge in demand for "olympic hats," political pride might explain the recent 9,600% spike for "usa baseball hats." Are you on team Obama? Then there's a hat for you, or at least a Search for one with
"obama hat" (+6,300%) "free obama hat,"
and "obama hat styles." Fewer of McCain's crowd prefers hats (but thumbs up on shirts and buttons).
Speaking of loyalty, where better to show your love for sports than a team logo on your brim. College pride leads with "ucla hats" (+4,200%). Team spirit is also showing in searches for "nba hats," "college hats," "nfl hats," "mlb caps," "ohio state hats," and "notre dame hats." As fans approach the sprint towards the World Series, demand is high for "boston red sox hats," "yankees hat" and "san diego padres caps." Let's hope you all don't get stuck in a room together.
Manly Gear
Gentleman, we've got some hats for you, too. "Fedora hats" leads the well-lidded retro vibe, in the top 10 of all hat searches. Then there are also classic picks like
"pork pie hats,"
"mens straw hats,"
"top hats,"
and
"indiana jones hats." Other manly gear includes "hard hats,"
"truck caps,"
"stetson hats,"
"safari hats,"
and
"cowboy hats."
(Yes, we're getting a Village People vibe, too).
Head Turners
Searches for the hatted range from the vague
"cool hats" and
"stylish hats,"
to the more specific and popular
"Gucci hats,"
"kangol caps,"
and
"custom embroidered hats."
But if you're looking for something a little more on trend, you can "buy new era caps," especially the "chris brown hats" that have spiked a whopping 4,400% online. The musician just put out a line of caps for New Era of his own design. According to People magazine, the hats feature "cartoon-like characters and lettering aimed for the young and stylin."
If all the above don't get you going, there's always "pirate hats." Arg.
Fashion Whites Not Wrong
On Labor Day, inquisitive minds sought out the holiday's origin (+69%), history (+71%), meaning (+74%), and why Americans celebrate (98%). One dictum, however, stood out: "don't wear white after labor day" (+125%).
Could the concern about proper fashion colors still endure in this era of casual Fridays? The question about this bygone sartorial prohibition has been asked and answered for decades: The most prevailing theory is that the rule may have only applied to shoes, with a pragmatic extension to clothing since white reflects the much-needed heat during colder seasons. The colorless suggestion may also have been aimed at the post World War II fashion-handicapped middle class.
Admittedly, vague answers aren't very satisfying. Then again, does anyone really heed this ban? First Lady Laura Bush donned a pantsuit for her surprise GOP convention appearance. John McCain, the maverick who would be president, doesn't flip on his white shirts policy just because of a calendar change.
The Web interest then might be a purely contemplative exercise, more in the order of "if a tree fell in the forest, would it get my white shoes dirty?" Instead, the more pressing issue should be all those contradictory messages that fall fashion designers put out, pitting androgynous minimalism against the hourglass silhouette, mixing plaids with florals, and swapping gender styles with ladies wearing bow ties and gents in ruffled skirts. Well, as long as the ruffles aren't white... that really bulks those hips up.
Filed under: Fashion, Holidays, Clothing and Accessories, Colors
What to Wear to 20 Different Occasions
Everyone knows that a wedding presents fashion dilemmas for the bride. But the beleaguered lady isn't the only one to wrestle with the style demands of the day. Judging by Search, her guests are equally torn over what to zip on for the festive occasion.
Over the past week, thousands of people consulted the Web for help on what to wear to particular events. Of the top 20 queries, more than a quarter focused on weddings. With today's wide array of nuptial venues and times, it's no wonder a style-conscious guest feels baffled. Beach weddings, evening weddings, outdoor weddings, oh my!
The confusion doesn't stop there. Job interviews, first dates, funerals, and rock shows are just a few of the occasions to draw questions from searchers on how to look their best. Even the youngest members of our society feel the pain: "what to wear on the first day of school" racked up large numbers of queries over the past seven days.
In many cases, experts answer the what-to-wear question with a ringing indictment of what not to wear, at any cost. In one of our favorite responses, CNN replies to the problem of what put on for the airplane with a stern run-down of no-fly items: "Shorts. High heels. Cologne." Anyone who's ever suffered through a fragrant trip in coach can agree.
Read on for the top 20 "what to wear" requests from the past week...
Filed under: Fashion
Fashion Forward at Wimbledon
Wimbledon is a tradition. And we say that in the most traditional sense of the word. What other sporting event asks that players wear all white?
You might think that the stuffy restriction wouldn't leave room for fashion, but you'd be mistaken. Though the tournament is barely under way, fans have already been treated (or subjected to) several memorable outfits from the players.
Maria Sharapova got the fashion show started early with a top that looked to have been inspired by a high school prom. An article from the New York Post declared the tuxedo-style outfit a hit.
While Sharapova's short shorts and wild shirt drew leers, rival Lindsay Davenport's outfit won points for keeping it real. The former champ sported a sleeveless top and pleated skirt that looked like a homage to the 1980s. Though not as unusual as Sharapova's, Davenport's look drew plenty of buzz.
Lindsay's duds may have been a flashback to the days of Chris Evert-Lloyd, but Serena Williams' warmup trenchcoat defies categorization. Ms. Williams took the court in a stark white jacket reminiscent of Bellevue Hospital. Love it or hate it, the look brought in the lookups, and a related article from Sports Illustrated buzzed loudly.
Finally, fashion isn't just for the ladies. Perennial powerhouse Roger Federer made some noise with a very traditional cardigan sweater. The top-ranked player is looking like he could easily advance to the finals... with style.
Not to Be Confused With 'Hat Head'
Bored with baseball caps? Tired of your urban sombrero? What if we told you that you could wear a hat that's not only made out of human hair, but is also shaped to resemble the heads of animals? On a scale of 1 to 10, how frightened would you be?
Before you answer that rhetorical question (trust us, your response is "10"), check out these photos from the Buzz: Current and Craft Magazine feature collections of pictures that we found to be both disturbing, amazing, and several other adjectives that haven't been invented yet.
Could these new hair hats by Japanese artist Nagi Noda be the next big thing? Maybe if someone like Sarah Jessica Parker wears one, others will follow...
Filed under: Fashion
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oddest Jobs | Breakout! |
| 2 | Vivienne Marcheline And Knox Leon | Breakout! |
| 3 | Shwayze Song | Breakout! |
| 4 | Cell Phone Etiquette | Breakout! |
| 5 | Your Home Page | 17280% |
| 6 | W Magazine | 8647% |
| 7 | Christie Brinkley | 8361% |
| 8 | Selma Blair | 5953% |
| 9 | Nashville Star | 2758% |
| 10 | Neiman Marcus Christmas Book | 1365% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leryn Franco | +244 | 456 |
| 2 | Holly Madison | +288 | 351 |
| 3 | Halloween Costumes | -17 | 222 |
| 4 | Hi-5 | +8 | 220 |
| 5 | Kellie Pickler | +101 | 200 |
| 6 | Jamie Lynn Spears | +80 | 180 |
| 7 | NFL | +0 | 136 |
| 8 | Barack Obama | -1 | 119 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
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