Designer has Dunn well to catch the eye of Sam Cam

AS one of the most famous women in Britain, she has her pick of outfits from top designers.

But it was the work of Edinburgh-born Campbell Dunn that caught the eye of the Prime Minister's wife, Samantha Cameron.

Mr Dunn, 23, who grew up in Morningside, recently won the Scottish Fashion Graduate of the Year award at the sixth annual Scottish Fashion Awards, after his dress design for Marks and Spencer's Limited Collection range was chosen from a shortlist of eight.

Among the star-studded audience at the awards ceremony in the Glasgow Science Centre were Dame Shirley Bassey, Lulu and Mrs Cameron - who is a member of the British Fashion Council - as well as a host of top fashion designers.

Mr Dunn said: "Samantha Cameron came up to me and said she really liked the dress and might wear it.

"It was a nice feeling. I tried to not get too excited and to play it pretty cool.

"She asked about my research and how I felt winning the award.

"The Marks and Spencer team overheard and said they would try and get her to wear the dress.

"They might send her the dress but I'll see what happens. It would be pretty weird if I did see her in it; I've only just graduated so I've not had that kind of exposure yet."

The black dress is due to go on sale as part of Marks and Spencer's Limited Collection range next spring.

Mr Dunn added: "I kept the dress quite minimalistic; I didn't want it too over the top.

"I wanted to go for something that I felt would sell and could be mass produced for the retailer. I tried to keep my design quite simple whilst concentrating more on the finishing details and the trims like the zips and press studs."

It's not the first time that Mrs Cameron has shown an interest in Marks and Spencer clothing, as she famously wore a polka-dot dress from the store for husband David's speech at the Conservative party conference in 2009, below.

Mr Dunn followed up his win with a nomination for the prestigious Neil Barrett Competition, which is run in conjunction with the British Fashion Council.

The nomination comes just as the young fashion designer is set to start his four-week work experience placement with M&S's design team in London next week - his prize for being named the Scottish Fashion Graduate of the Year 2011.

He graduated with first class honours in BA Fashion Design from the University of Huddersfield.