NEW YORK - There is a lot to cringe about at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, and I’m not just speaking of Lady GaGa’s near-nude ensemble at the Marc Jacobs after party on Monday night. There was also a rather disturbing and poorly attended Snuggie (the blanket with sleeves!) runway show introducing new animal prints, plus Snuggies for canines, because you know the family dog would love to be humiliated too. There have also been runway shows for self-tanning products and lingerie, men on the runway in high heels, and clothes designed by Sheree from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.’’
Oh, the humanity.
But it’s not all tackiness and blatant commercialism. The austere mood of last season’s shows has lifted, and designers seem to be back in the business of having fun in 2010. It began last Thursday for Fashion’s Night Out, where Anna Wintour signed T-shirts, and Oscar de la Renta, Sarah Jessica Parker, Barbara Walters, and Bette Midler gathered in the designer’s Madison Avenue store to sing “I’ll Be Seeing You.’’
“Fashion should be fun, it should be exuberant, and it should feel like a party,’’ said Diane von Furstenberg earlier this week.
Given that fashion designers are taking a more positive view this season, I decided to do the same thing. Here are a few of my favorite Fashion Week moments, and you won’t find a Snuggie, or even a Slanket, in the bunch:
Feather dresses that aren’t reminiscent of Big Bird - Feathers can be a fashion disaster and run the risk of coming across as Liza Minnelli cast-offs. But this week, designers proved that feathers can transcend costumes and add texture. Wunderkind Jason Wu used feathers to add sophistication to his cocktail dresses. Chris Benz gave feathers a young, party-girl attitude by adding rainbow feathers to a shirt dress. “I was just looking to have some fun with it,’’ Benz said Monday at his show. And von Furstenberg, queen of fashion fun, used feathers in one of her modern gypsy ensembles.
Playful fashion shows - The cast of characters who stage shows here in New York take great pride in taking themselves seriously . . . very seriously. Which is why it was a great relief when designer Yohji Yamamoto and soccer player Zinedine Zidane tried to score goals off a photographer that a model had plucked from the audience. Let’s hope the photographer who faced off against Yamamoto is more skilled at taking pictures than he is at soccer.
Wedding dresses that don’t look like meringues - Not only did Tuleh designer Bryan Bradley cleverly take a swipe at California’s Proposition 8 by placing his wedding dress-wearing models in both feminine and slightly more masculine bridal looks, he was one of the few designers to incorporate wedding dresses into his collection. If a woman is going to spend thousands on a designer dress, it seems logical that she’s going to spend it on a wedding dress. His seven wedding dresses ranged from romantic to practical, but all were a welcome change of pace.
Victoria Beckham as Fashionable Spice - No joke, Beckham has successfully blossomed into a fashion designer - and Ginger Spice’s Union Jack dress was not among the offerings, thank you very much. Posh, er, Beckham, presented a show of cocktail and evening wear that was sexy, but still refined. During a week when pop stars tried to pass themselves off as fashion designers - Avril Lavigne, this means you - it’s nice to find a performer with a true knack for fashion.
Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com. 
