LONDON - FASHION CAPITAL

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – London has overtaken New York as the world's fashion capital for 2011, fueled by media interest in late British designer Alexander McQueen and Kate Middleton, according to a survey by the Global Language Monitor.

London Fashion Week

Based on a system that tracks the frequency of words and phrases in print, electronic and social media, London moved up from third to first place in 2011, ousting New York from the top spot it had held in the survey for several years.

"We are seeing what the impact of two genuine media stars, ...Kate (Middleton) and Alexander McQueen can have upon a global ranking. Our numbers show that it was their presence that tipped the victory to London over New York," Bekka Payack, of the Global Language Monitor, said on Tuesday.

The former Kate Middleton has become an international fashion icon following her engagement and marriage in April to Britain's Prince William.

McQueen committed suicide in 2010 but his fashion brand has lived on. The new Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton, artistic director for the Alexander McQueen label.

The top five global fashion capitals were rounded out by Paris at No. 3, then Milan and Los Angeles, while Berlin and Singapore broke into the top 10 for the first time since the survey began eight years ago.

Global Language Monitor is based in Texas and analyzes the latest trends in word usage and their cultural impact by tracking the Internet, blogs, social media sites such as Twitter and 75,000 print and electronic media.

(Source: Yahoo; Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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