Pippa Middleton's Edinburgh modelling bid revealed

HER sister famously swept a prince off his feet when she sashayed her way down the catwalk in a see-through dress at a charity fashion show.

And the Evening News can reveal today that Pippa Middleton also tried her hand at modelling just two years after Kate Middleton first attracted the eye of Prince William.

As the photographs show, 27-year-old Pippa, an Edinburgh University graduate, took part in the university's charity fashion show at City Nightclub at the age of 20 in March 2004.

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She was among the student models to be clad in the latest clothes from top New York fashion designer Betsey Johnson, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood.

Designs from Hillary Rohde, Jane Davidson and Margaret Howell were also part of the show, which attracted a large audience and raised 22,000 for the Maggie's Centre based at the Western General Hospital.

The Edinburgh University Charity Fashion Show also featured a charity auction, with copies of the Harry Potter books signed by JK Rowling, and was hosted by Channel Four newsreader Jon Snow and comedian Miles Jupp.

During her time at the university, Pippa is said to have shared a flat with Ted Innes-Ker, son of the Duke of Roxburghe, and George Percy, son of the Duke of Northumberland, whom she dated.

"As soon as Pippa arrived at Edinburgh, she was assiduous about joining the right social circle," one university source was quoted as saying.

"She was very charming about it, but quite ruthless in cultivating the 'right' friends."

The dress her sister Kate wore at a 2002 charity fashion show while at St Andrew's University has attracted attention from all over the world.

The black and turquoise knitted silk tube, made by University of the West of England fashion graduate Charlotte Todd, sold for 78,000 at an auction in central London in March.

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It remains to be seen whether the outfits modelled by Pippa in Edinburgh will attract such interest.

She strutted her stuff in a black and white casual dress, as well as a strapless dress with a butterfly in her hair and an orange scarf around her neck. She was also photographed outside the nightclub wearing a white jumper. The Edinburgh University fashion show, which was run by students, featured the work of top designers such as Stella McCartney.

The glitzy two-day event was followed by an exclusive after-show party in the club's mezzanine bar.

At the time Lara Brearley, who was a history student and helped to organise the event, said: "It went very well."Everything ran smoothly and people seemed to enjoy themselves."

"We had a great range of designers who gave their clothes, such as Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood. The auction was a real success, too."

It was while at Edinburgh University that Pippa met and for three years dated JJ Jardine Paterson, a son of a Hong Kong banking family, and with whom she broke up around the same time as the much-publicised, albeit temporary, split between Kate and Prince William in April 2007. She graduated with a degree in English literature in 2008.

Among the other world-famous labels which took part in the Edinburgh fashion show were men's tailor Joop!, Ted Baker, Iceberg and Cookie.

Edinburgh-based shop Corniche, a past winner of the UK designer store of the year title, gave up some of its collection, while The Red Door Gallery, which is located in Victoria Street, also donated designs for the event.