Fashion enthusiasts here can rejoice. A leading French fashion expert predicts that Indian designs will hit the world scene in a major way thanks to Bollywood.

"Bollywood is bringing in colours and style. It has brought in the luxury of colours, a sense of quickness and speed with all that song and dance," tells Alix de Poix.

"The fashion scene is more lively because of this infusion."

De Poix, who is here to attend the India Economic Summit organised by the Davos-based World Economic Forum, has worked with some of the world's leading luxury goods companies and is a keen watcher of global fashion trends.

"It's phenomenal the way Indian films have penetrated the consciousness of the West," gushes de Poix, who was simply enthralled by "Devdas", starring Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai.

She is ecstatic about the future of Indian fashion. It's India, not China, that the world is watching closely, she says.

"You have all the colours in the world which no one else has. China is so limited. Take a walk on the streets of Shanghai. There are only a few colours there - blue, black and green."

India also has competitive advantages that are sure to make it a Mecca of haute couture in the not-too-distant future, she says.

"Compared to China, India is more in tune with the West in terms of style and sensibilities. Most importantly, Indian women are tall, and thus are able to carry off Western clothes with panache," the fashion expert said.

"You have Russian designers and Turkish designers. Now it's the turn of Indian designers to bask in the limelight."

Aggressive marketing, coupled with intrinsic strengths like the variety of fabrics and India's beautiful women can make a world of difference, she says.

"Fashion could be a good way to put your country on the map of the world. In high fashion, one is designing high-end luxury goods for a global, multi-cultural clientele.

"Given India's burgeoning upper middle class, haute couture can be a key driver of economic growth."