^Actually, have you read any of Misa-chan's translations of her early DejiDeji diaries? (or the originals if you can read japanese) She talked about designers and clothes a lot back then already, showed off her nails and stuff like she still does nowadays.
The first DejiDeji (or PolaPola) diary, back in 2000 (translated by Misa-chan) She already mentions Dolce&Gabbana. In the third issue she mentioned Chanel.
I do undestand where you're coming from though. She does use more extravagant clothes in her performances than before, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, depending on how you view it. You could think "Pfft. She's showing off how expensive things she can buy." or you could look at her and think "She's using her clothes like a prop. Cool." or something else. But the point is, things like that are pretty much in the eye of the beholder. When my personal mindset about a lot of things changed I went from example 1 to example 2, lol.
The thing is, to me, it's still her music that counts the most. As long as she isn't all about creating trends, following trends or just something else than the music itself, I won't be bothered anymore. Somebody here said the wisest thing of all, she doesn't need huge popularity, what she deserves is
respect.
Btw I do think her image did play a part in her popularity, if you were referring to me. (?)