Kate Middleton Crowned Top Fashion Icon Over Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has reigned as pop culture's most-talked-about queen of vogue for a few years, but the freaky fashion icon has been dethroned -- by a future princess, to boot.

The Global Language Monitor, a company that tracks and analyzes word usage trends around the world, has just released its annual list of "Top Fashion Buzzwords" featuring the hottest topics and styles being discussed on today's fashion scene.

The No. 1 buzzword is none other than "Kate Middleton," who's been thrust into the style spotlight ever since her engagement to Prince William was announced in November.

Knock-offs of the royal blue Issa dress she wore to her engagement announcement sold out online within hours of the couple's televised interview.

This is a Tuesday Nov. 16, 2010, file photo of Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton arrive for a media photocall.

Sang Tan, AP

Princess-to-be Kate Middleton wore a royal blue Issa dress to her televised engagement announcement on Nov. 16. Copies of the dress were soon flying off store shelves.

Now the whole world is waiting to see what the princess bride will wear next and -- more importantly -- what her wedding gown will look like when she walks down the aisle April 29.

Lady Gaga's name was the top fashion buzzword on the list last year. But even the infamous meat dress Gaga wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards paled in comparison to Middleton's classic, refined style.

Middleton's status as the new queen of chic is spot-on with today's looks, said About.com's resident fashion expert, Cynthia Nellis.

"The way Kate dresses goes hand in hand with where fashion is at this point. We're seeing a return to classy, ladylike fashion filled with fit-and-flare dresses and outfits inspired by 'Mad Men,' " Nellis told AOL News.

"Kate makes perfect sense as a fashion icon. The crazy, outrageous stuff [that Lady Gaga wears] really is last year's trend," she said.

Though Middleton's outfits are often understated, Nellis said the royal-to-be is extremely young, fresh and fabulous in her wardrobe choices.

Nellis said Middleton brings a "romance" and elegance back to fashion that we haven't seen in quite some time, so it's no wonder she's being hailed as a modern-day fashion icon.

Fashion expert Sharon Haver, a former stylist who now runs FocusOnStyle.com, thinks Middleton's triumph over Lady Gaga in the fashion world is something to celebrate.

"I think people are finally getting sick of Lady Gaga and weird stuff she does. It's not shocking anymore, it's just annoying. The thrill is gone," Haver told AOL News. "I think that meat dress was her swan song."

)Lady Gaga wears her controversial meat dress, as she arrives in the Press Room after winning eight 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.

Mark Ralston, AFP / Getty Images

Where's the beef? Lady Gaga turned heads with this Franc Fernandez meat dress, but she's fallen behind elegant Middleton as a style icon.

Haver said Middleton, on the other hand, is seamlessly elegant without looking overly styled. The 29-year-old is shining example of a young woman who can be both up to date and sophisticated in a time when spray tans, short skirts and cleavage-bearing shirts rule pop culture, Haver said.

"Kate is British, but she looks like a classic, all-American girl. She looks like she could be a Ralph Lauren model. She's classy but not dowdy -- modern, approachable and effortless. I think she's a good fashion icon for young girls to look up to globally."

So after Middleton and Gaga, what's left to talk about in the world of style?

Well, a heap of other buzzwords, according to the Global Language Monitor's list, which ranks the words, names and phrases based on how many times they're mentioned in print and electronic media, on the Internet and in social media.

Other top fashion buzzwords of the season include:

Sheer: Translucent and transparent clothing choices.
Shirtdresses: Those simple yet sexy dresses being worn by everyone, coast to coast.
Sustainable style: Clothing made of recycled, eco-friendly fabrics.
MoBama: Michelle Obama's moniker as a fashion icon. The first lady has been slipping down the list lately after some questionable wardrobe choices, although she gains points for flare for that red-hot Alexander McQueen gown she wore last month to a White House state dinner.
White shirts: Clean, crisp button-down shirts for that classic, Audrey Hepburn-inspired look.
Leggings: The tight bottoms flourishing around the globe.
That '70s look: The neo-Bohemian style, a bit more updated and refined.
Embellishments: From tassels and pewter to studs and sequins, adding a little something extra on anything is in.
Yama Girl: a Japanese fashion trend that includes fleece miniskirts, brightly colored leggings and sneakers or boots. The point is for the outfit to be fun and fashionable while still functional. The "Yama Girl" look is worn by women who like to hike and enjoy the great outdoors.
"Jersey Shore" wear: Unsophisticated, tawdry, tight and outrageous clubwear, as featured by Snooki and her friends on MTV's "Jersey Shore."