And thanks to the fact that shows are managed professionally and modelled after Paris and Milan, Singapore's ranking as a place of work for international models has also gone up. 'Singapore used to be a place where new models starting out would come to get jobs to build their portfolio, but now we get girls who've worked in Milan, Paris and New York who want to work here,' says Watson Tan, managing director of Upfront Models, one of the leading modelling agencies here.

'Singapore is definitely the next fashion destination in Asia now,' he enthused. 'We're known for the way we run the shows, because they're very similar to how it's done in Paris and Milan,' he continues, adding that Upfront has seen a five-fold increase in engagements for its models last year, each of whom commands a starting rate of $400 per event.

'With the economy picking up, more brands and companies have bigger budgets and are also organising more events,' Mr Tan notes. With its models being booked for more than 1,000 events last year, which averages out to be 19 events or so a week, he expects to see about the same packed schedule for its models - or an even better one - this year.

Upfront sent its models for three events last night; even as designer labels like Chanel held its Spring/Summer '07 fashion show to celebrate the re-opening of its new boutique at Ngee Ann City.

Topping the smorgasbord of fashion events last night however, was the Female/Nuyou's Spring/Summer '07 Catwalk Collections which featured outfits straight off the runways of Paris and Milan.

The two SPH magazines' titles showcased the collections of seven international fashion labels - Anna Molinari, Alfred Dunhill, Escada, Hugo Boss, Kenzo, Roberto Cavalli and RED Valentino at The Fullerton Hotel. The show has been growing in prestige since it first started in 2003, and with 500 invited guests this year, it's one of the largest runway shows for the Spring/Summer season.

Labels like Hugo Boss see the Female/Nuyou Spring Summer Catwalk Collections as an opportunity to create awareness for its wares. 'It's a chance to showcase our Boss Black line for men and women,' says Calvin Ong, the brand manager.

But the tone for this year's burgeoning fashion calendar was first set by Louis Vuitton when it held its Spring/Summer '07 presentation at Chijmes in January. The label last held a show of such scale about three years ago. 'We hold these presentations at different countries each year, and we chose Singapore because the venue was perfect for the collection,' says Aileen Png, spokeswoman for Louis Vuitton Singapore.

The brand invited over 50 members of the media, and over 20 of its VIP customers from the region and Singapore for the show. Big shows like this aside - applying mostly to Spring/Summer collections - the staple fashion shows to look out for are the smaller, more intimate trunk shows usually held at the brands' flagship stores.

'There are two different kinds of shows - one which is a selling show, and the other is for brand-building,' says Tjin Lee, director of Mercury Marketing and Communications, which organised the Valentino show earlier this year for the brand's opening of its largest flagship store in South-east Asia.

Upfront Models' Mr Tan thinks that bodies like the Singapore Tourism Board have done a lot in raising Singapore's profile in the fashion world. 'Everyone in the industry is playing their part - we've good stylists, good photographers, and shows of international-standard - Singapore's just getting ready to bloom,' he concludes.