Meghan Markle Outranks Kate Middleton in Style Power, Says Lyst Report

See how stars rank among the most searched celebrity influencers

By Diana Nguyen Nov 28, 2017 10:25 PMTags
ESC: Kate Middleton, Meghan MarkleGetty Images

And the most powerful celebrity influencer is…

Rihanna…but you probably already knew that. You probably didn't know that newly engaged Meghan Markle outranked future sister-in-law Kate Middleton in the most coveted wardrobe department.

What's more surprising are the other stars featured on Lyst's Year in Fashion 2017 top 10s. The fashion search engine—helpful for finding that one piece you just have to have—analyzed its inquiries from the past year, crunched 100 million searches, from 80 million shoppers, in 120 countries, to find the most searched brands, products, trends…and even, yes, celeb-worn pieces.

"To name and rank the most influential celebrities in fashion, we monitored the spikes in demand created by 50 global superstars during the course of 2017, looking at search and sales response to some of their most talked-about outfits," according to the Lyst report.

The third-party e-market ranked celebrities by how many times pieces a star previously wore was searched for on the Internet. To no one's surprise, Rihanna, with her Puma collection, Gucci everything and $10,000 YSL boots, topped the list, followed by Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid.

The Suits star ranked fourth—apparently, the world noticed her newfound love for British brands like Burberry and Barbour. The star also brought plenty attention to lesser known brands like Misha Nonoo, Finlay and Co. and others. The Mackage Baya Leather Jacket ($690) and matching (and more affordable) Aritzia dress ($195) she wore to the 2017 Invictus Games opening ceremony sold out quickly after the actress was spotted in it. Perhaps it's Meghan's love for mixing high and low brands that keep her in the style spotlight. Then again, the LINE Winter White Coat ($799 CAD) the bride-to-be wore for the Official Royal Engagement Photocall rapidly sold out, according to the Canadian brand, proving people just can't get enough of her Cali-girl-meets-royal style.

Although the Duchess of Cambridge ranked fifth, her impact is not to go unnoticed. Her influence has stretched a longer span of time than Meghan's. Even years after her engagement, Kate is still selling out clothes and boosting sales for brands like L.K. Bennett, Rouland Mouret and Dolce & Gabbanna, as evidenced by the duchess' polka-dot D&G midi dress she wore to Wimbledon. She's not just a royal; she's a princess of the people, too. Earlier this year, Kate wore a floral Erdem top and skirt on her tour of Poland—and now you can shop Erdem x H&M for a similar, more affordable look. OK, she probably had no stake in that, but you can see how her style can inspire the masses.

Hey, at least Kate beat out Melania Trump, who took the number six spot, inspiring shoppers with her turns in mostly European designers like Delpozo, Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana.

A$AP Rocky, Harry Styles, Kylie Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski completed the list.

To see more surprising looks, Insta-hits and biggest trends (hint: Gucci, Gucci, Gucci) of the year, head over to Lyst's Year in Fashion findings.