Nothing gets at the breadth of the topics, questions and figures that were on our minds any given year than Google’s annual ranking of top trending searches, which covers everything from news to celebrities to the questions big and small we type into our browsers in a quest for answers — how to style, how to pronounce, how to be.
The 2021 Year in Search report highlights the words, names and phrases that got “a high spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2021, as compared to 2020,” per a Google spokesperson. Some of the results for fashion-adjacent categories aren’t that surprising, when you think about the Topics of the Day online we engaged with throughout the year (Harry Styles’ outfits as he embarked on tour, for example, or wondering if skinny jeans were coming back); others reflect our ever-growing interest in nostalgia (whether that means Y2K trends, outfits from specific decades) and even some of the throwback content we’ve revisited in the past twelve months.
Ahead, see the top 10 trending searches across a range of fashion- and shopping-related categories that Google identified for 2021, from sustainable products to aesthetics to celebrity outfits, real and fictional.
CELEBRITY OUTFITS
- Adam Sandler
- Britney Spears
- Cam Newton
- Cher
- Doja Cat
- Harry Styles
- Selena Quintanilla
- Melania Trump
- Lizzo
- Aaliyah
FICTIONAL CHARACTER OUTFITS
- Sarah Cameron (from “Outer Banks”)
- Bella Swan (from “Twilight”)
- Hannah Montana (from “Hannah Montana”)
- Love Quinn (from “You”)
- Cruella (from “101 Dalmatians”)
- Rachel Green (from “Friends”)
- Keeley Jones (from “Ted Lasso”)
- Elena Gilbert (from “The Vampire Diaries”)
- Jackie Burkhart (from “That ’70s Show”)
- Fran Fine (from “The Nanny”)
AESTHETICS
- Indie
- Dark academia
- Cottagecore
- Y2K
- Sage green
- Kidcore
- Coconut girl
- Kawaii
- Harry Potter
- Slytherin
HOW TO STYLE
- How to style straight leg jeans
- How to style a wolf haircut
- How to style a corset
- How to style rings
- How to style a sweater vest
- How to style boyfriend jeans
- How to style bell bottom jeans
- How to style oversized sweater
- How to style a bob haircut
- How to style flannel
TYPES OF OUTFITS
- Rave outfits
- Preppy outfits
- Country club outfits
- ’70s outfits
- Cottagecore outfits
- ’90s outfits
- Homecoming outfits
- Throwback outfits
- Festival outfits
- ’50s outfits
ARE… IN STYLE?
- Bangs
- Skinny jeans
- Cargo shorts
- Overalls
- Tall boots
- Jean jackets
- Bell bottoms
- Cold shoulder tops
- Leather jackets
- Vests
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS
- Hand soap
- Leather jacket
- Denim
- Sandals
- Cleaning products
- Engagement rings
- Swimwear
- Razors
- Pens
- Activewear
WHAT TO WEAR…
- What to wear to a concert
- What to wear to homecoming
- What to wear under graduation gown
- What to wear to a bridal shower
- What to wear to graduation
- What to wear to jury duty
- What to wear to a baseball game
- What to wear snowboarding
- What to wear to an interview
- What to wear to a wake
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Photo Credit: PK Studio / Shutterstock.com