This Morning’s show-biz reporter, Alison Hammond, will be creating a brand new plus size range for Yours clothing.

Here’s what Yours had to say:

“Alison will be selecting a range of clothes to create ‘Alison Hammond for Yours Clothing’ – real clothes for real women.

The range reflects Alison and Yours Clothing’s passion for promoting on-trend fashionable clothes for real women just like her and the range will be available exclusively online at www.yoursclothing.co.uk.

She’s the UK’s biggest star and 2008’s ‘Most Popular TV Presenter’. Alison has notched up over 7 years on our screens as the people’s favourite with the personality you never forget! It’s her unforgettable charm and sense of fun that rate her number one with the celebrities too:  she’s tap danced with Renee Zellwegger, rapped with Will Smith, jammed with Russell Crowe and had Pierce Brosnan begging for more.

Known for her quick wit, style and big heart, nobody gets a better interview than Alison. Alison can turn her hand to anything and has an incredible list of UK network shows to her name including: This Morning, Loose Women, Inside Out, BBC Exchange, Celebrity Ready Steady Cook and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Alison is also an accomplished actress having appeared in various TV dramas, notably: Boon, Chalkface, Locksmith, Yes and 3 series of the BAFTA awards winning Palace Hill. She’s larger than life and she’s ready to take Yours Clothing by storm.”

Take a look at the sneak preview pictures of Alison visiting Yours to decide on her collection here.

Dorothy Perkins are offering 20% off their new collection but it all ends Sunday so be quick and use the code on the banner above.

After my interview with Plus Size Tall editor Thibault, we formed a great relationship and here we speak of the Plus Size Tall website and how it all began.

Plus Size Tall is originally French (Ma Grande Taille), what made you decide to create the website and when did it all start?

Well, I quit my job as Marketing Director of online travel agency Ebookers France in June 2007 to launch a couple of fashion magazines online. When I showed to my sister Corinne, she said: “Nice, but there is nothing for me on your sites!”. Indeed, Corinne is a UK size 22. I did some research online and I saw that there was a viable place for an online plus-size fashion magazine in France. Hence, Ma-Grande-Taille.com (i.e. My Plus Size) started out in October 2007.

Would you say there is a lack of plus size fashion in France and Europe?
Up until 2007, I would have said yes. But for the past couple of years, there has been an explosion of options for French and European plus size fashionistas :- existing brands, such as La Redoute’s Taillissime have drastically updated their offering- new clothing brands and online retailers have popped up- the Paris Prêt-à-Porter trade fair now has a plus size fashion corner- US and UK sites like Evans have started selling to Europeans. I think the real problem is that lots of women are not aware of these options, because there is no existing media to let them know. This is why 100% People and Ma-Grande-Taille.com can be useful to both readers and brands, to help them find each other. The sore point is men: the offering is quite lackluster in France, but it also seems that overweight men are even less interested in fashion than thin guys!

What brands would you recommend to me if I had just moved to France and was looking for plus size clothes that would make me feel fabulous?
First off, you ARE fabulous It comes from the inside.  Now, if you were to move to France or if you just came on a shopping trip, here are a few brands you could look at:- Coleen Bow: very romantic clothing, high end, great for women of all sizes, as they offer a wide range of sizes. Cartel de la Mode: cheap and chic, very nice dresses for big girls (currently under construction) Fuegolita: from Marseille, full of sun, colours and energy, Anathéa by Didier Parakian: a French brand that sells really well in Russia, for instance.

Why did you decide to translate Plus Size Tall into English?
On Ma-Grande-Taille.com, our writers often mention UK-based retailers such as Evans, Dorothy Perkins and Yours Clothing. These retailers ship to France and offer great style. So, I thought it was a good idea to give a try with a UK version of our site. I thought that our mix of fashion advice, fashion deals and fashion chatter could maybe interest British readers.

Do you feel you have to change the content of the UK site to fit with the readership here?
Well, 95% of the content on Plus-Size-Tall.com is original; it means that our British writers create their own articles, independently from what is going on the French version. It is a bit like comparing Grazia France and Grazia UK: we talk about the same fashion trends, but they translate into different shopping advice because retailers are different from one country to another. Moreover, pieces about plus-size British celebrities are seldom of interest to French readers, and the same for French celebrities in the UK. But what struck us after a few months was that 30% of our readers actually come from the US! So, we have started introducing a few articles about the US, but always with a British perspective.

Your websites cover a great amount of information; can you highlight the areas on your website?
Plus-Size-Tall.com and Ma-Grande-Taille.com are really about the Outsize Fashion community: what bigger celebs wear, fashion deals from plus size brands, new brands for tall women, where to find trendy wider shoes, health concerns that matter to our readers, etc.

What do you enjoy writing about most?
New brands, new initiatives, new sites … I just like writing about people who decide to invest in the Plus Size and Tall Fashion Industry. It takes courage, because it is difficult to succeed. Moreover, it is sometimes not seen as glamourous, so showing that some people dedicate themselves to changing this industry gives me a thrill.

What fashion trends do you see for the coming seasons?
Blue is the colour of the 2010 Summer: dark blue with navy-inspired clothing and light blue with clothing made in denim. Tribal and exotic patterns are big, but I really like them on shoes: some sandals look really great with tribal details.

Do you have any future plans for your website?
Quite frankly, I have not devoted enough time to Plus-Size-Tall.com yet. The design of the site is not great, so this is what I will be improving in the next weeks.

There has been a lot of media coverage regarding body sizes; do you think that we will ever see diversity in the fashion industry without it being a media stunt?
There is an undeniable novelty part in this trend; in the end, I do thing that diversity in body sizes will be a regular feature in magazines. It is a matter of sticking to the reality of the market, while still allowing women to see pictures of good-looking models. It is the very definition of “good-looking” that is going to be changed.

Any advice for our readers? Or last words?
I think it is great that your readers have chosen to become members of your online community. So, I congratulate them on their choice. Creating a visible community can help make plus size fashion more important in the eyes of designers and retailers.

Thank you for your time Thibault, it was great speaking with you.

If you are a fashion lover then this news should not pass you by, learn about the new application from ASOS.

ASOS.com, the UK’s leading online fashion store has launched www.asosfollowsfashion.com, a Twitter application bringing together the latest tweets from fashion industry insiders and influencers.

James Hart, eCommerce Director at ASOS.com, said:  “We’ve been chatting to our customers through social media for a few years now but our ASOS colleagues also follow and interact with some of fashion’s greatest through Twitter. With asosfollowsfashion.com, we get to share this passion. It’s a simple tool with a simple goal really; to connect fashion-loving people with real time news and views from the best of the fashion world.”

Featuring categories like ‘The Brands’, ‘The Bloggers’ and ‘The A-List’,  asosfollowsfashion.com helps users to discover interesting fashion tweeters and view real-time fashion news and stories. Encouraging users to help curate the list of featured tweeters, the application also invites them to share their view and highlight any accounts that should be added.

“ASOS.com’s continued growth is due to their consistent ability to innovate with their online activity,” said James Haycock, Managing Director of AdaptiveLab, the creative technology company that built the social media application. “Their open approach to including competitors on the site demonstrates that they really understand the role their brand can play when it comes to social interaction, as this application positions them as a useful resource that will have continued relevance.”

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This is something I have been meaning to post on, after the launch of our Real Bodies Unite campaign, I realised that we weren’t the only ones striving to make a change to the fashion industry’s portrayal of women, and I was happy to see that many people have started their own campaign all over the world!

The National Eating Disorder Information Centre in Canada has launched their ‘Campaign to Cast Responsibly and Retouch Minimally’. They too have launched a petition but they have executed a communications plan that has really got people listening.

The campaign “targets fashion leaders and marketers who are guilty of promoting an impossibly thin look at the exclusion of all others”. To voice their concern they have sent a greetings card and impossibly fitting t-shirt to selected fashion leaders. The card says “Thanks for helping to make me such a successful anorexic.”  Along with the t-shirt that asks them to try it on so they too can feel how we feel when we see their images. It is such a powerful message that cannot be ignored, for this reason they have also started a pledge where these fashion leaders and marketers can promise to change the way they portray women.

They have also put up two posters as trash bins so women can rid themselves of the damaging magazines that make them feel inadequate! What a fantastic idea.

I have signed the petition and so should you! Take a look at their website to see what the t-shirt looks like and learn more about the campaign.

Debenhams is getting you ready for the summer months, making you feel fabulous and all at smaller prices!

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm – Worth £15
Free discovery size Beauty Flash Balm 30ml worth £15 with the purchase of 2 or more Clarins purchases.

Marc Jacobs Tote
Free with a 50ml or larger Marc Jacobs Daisy or Lola fragrance purchase.

Estée Lauder Treats
Pamper yourself with 5 Free Treats! Yours with 2 or more Estée Lauder purchases.

Gift contains  Sensuous Eau de Parfum DP 4ml, Time Zone Moisturiser 7ml, Revelation Moisturiser 7ml, Lash Primer Plus 5ml, Soft Clean Foaming Cleanser 50ml

This week feelunique.com are giving away a whopping 10% Off Everything in their Skincare department. Just use the code 10SKINGLOW to redeem. Valid with immediate effect, this offer expires on March 16th.

Elena Miro designs what can only be described as absolutely delectable and beautifully sexy clothes for curvy women. Her plus size A/W 2010 collection hit the runway in Milan last week and gosh they are stunning.

Elena Miro has just launched their charitable Dona L’Usato program where customers with Elena Miro clothes can give their old attire back and receive a discount on their new collection.

To watch the new ad campaign, check out Runway Revolution – to which I thank for highlighting this news.

To get a preview of the coming winter collection, go to The Curvy Fashionista

Elena Miro is an Italian designer, if you are looking to buy in the UK, try Beige Plus who have three shops in London, you can also request a catalogue and get updated via email.

Supermodel Erin O’Connor, 32, is co-founder of ‘All Walks Beyond the Catwalk,’ a charity which encourages designers to embrace all women whatever their age or size. Here she explains why we all deserve the very best of British fashion, as reported in the Mirror.

“Modelling for this special issue is an honour, not only because Sarah Brown is editing, but also because I was photographed with a diverse group of women, celebrating what I call “the beauty of diversity”.

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Lauren Koenig is an up and coming plus model who is possibly one of the most persistent and dedicated women to ever grace the cover of DailyVenusDiva.com.  In her brief time modeling she has graced the pages of many magazines (on and offline) and has modeling agencies requesting that she signs with them.

As the cover model of our “Going Green” issue Lauren shares with readers the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and how plus size representation in the media can help make the world a healthier place.

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