Fashion's having a right laugh

Models beaming out from the cover of February's French Vogue and a recent Victoria's Secret runway; the boom of energetic video advertising campaigns featuring dancing models; even style institutions uploading send-ups of themselves to YouTube ... fun, it seems, is back in vogue.

The trend can be traced back to Lavin designer Alber Elbaz. In a special video for the fashion house late last year he can be spotted having a dance-off with models Raquel Zimmermann and Karen Elson to Pitbull's not-so-subtle song I Know You Want Me.

Next, model agency Ford made a video to prove that posing is not its models' only skill. Director Mark Hug captured their fresh young things rocking out, while Italian brand Daniele Fiesoli soon afterwards produced a video campaign called "Let's dance", showing the young and beautiful bopping away to electro. And on Friday, as part of a campaign to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its designer support initiative "New Gen", Topshop released a short film by Nick Knight which shows model Karlie Kloss getting her groove on to the sound of Roxy Music.

But models weren't the only ones getting in on the fun act. In the latest Lady Dior ad, Marion Cotillard plays a Hollywood actress called Margaux - who laughs, and laughs, and laughs. And Liv Tyler can be spotted in Givenchy's Very Irrésistible video campaign singing and dancing away.

Last but by no means least, Emmanuelle Alt, editor-in-chief at French Vogue, created a sensation when she released a stunt video for the magazine last week.

Instantly it went viral, thanks no doubt to its assembly of top models Karmen Pedaru, Kendra Spears, Jasmine Tookes and Anja Rubik remaking the Wham! classic, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.

With her silly but stylish stunt, Alt was light years away from her predecessor Carine Roitfeld, or the stern, serious American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, and took the world by surprise.

It looks as though in fashion, like anywhere else, girls just want to have fun.