Looking at Tim Gunn makes me smile. The "make it work" design mentor from Project Runway always has such a great goofy-looking grin on his face, I just can't help it. Off the runway, Gunn's speaking up for plus-size women in a new interview with Marie Claire, saying that when it comes to shopping, they deserve better options: 

"Have you seen most of the plus-size sections out there? It's horrifying," said Gunn. "Whoever's designing for plus-size doesn't get it. The entire garment needs to be reconceived. You can't just take a size 8 and make it larger." 

Tim's right. When bigger girls head to the mall, they are pretty much limited to two mainstream stores: Torrid and Lane Bryant. Two stores. I don't know about you, but I can't imagine any fashionable "normal" sized girl being confined to two stores and being OK with it.

From a girl who's been there, trust me -- it really stinks.

Queen Latifah is awesome at everything she does. However, her latest venture -- a clothing line spanning sizes 2 through 24W called Queen Collection for the Home Shopping Network -- may be her most successful one yet. Latifah spoke to Essence magazine about being a plus-size woman today:

"A lot of manufacturers don't respect the curvaceous woman," the January cover girl told Essence. "They don't respect our dollar or our shape ... I'm happy to make women's clothing I really like."

Amen, sister. It's been a few years now, but I remember how difficult it was for me to shop for "bigger girl" clothing prior to dropping 65 pounds. It feels like just yesterday when it so totally sucked having to compromise my personal style to find items that fit right.

Hearing her talk about being curvy and looking at her clothing line, it's clear that Queen Latifah really understands what plus-size women are looking for and what makes them feel good about their bodies. See for yourself:

I often hear you all complain that there aren't enough retailers providing cute, affordable plus-size clothing options.

Well, I've got good news for you.

Today, The Limited introduced a new site, Eloquii, which specializes in plus-size fashions. And so far, I'm liking what I'm seeing.

This cascading purple dress, for example, is fabulous and not a bad price for a special occasion dress -- it retails for $98.

Want to see more of what Eloquii has to offer?

Keep reading -- and tell me what you think of the new site in the comments!

If you haven't heard of Melissa McCarthy yet, it's about time you stop reading those things you call "books" and start watching more movies and TV. The star of the Emmy-winning sitcom Mike & Molly and the hiiiilarious movie Bridesmaids hosted SNL this week and is likely enjoying all the perks that come along with celebrity, like money and fashion lines. Evidently not immune to the fashion bug that bites celebs, McCarthy is starting her own plus-size clothing line.

I've definitely heard worse ideas. McCarthy claims to have been really interested in fashion as a kid (don't all celebs hawking their goods say that?) and was inspired to finally follow her dream when she couldn't find anything to wear to the Emmys.

Plus-size models are certainly having a moment. After Italian Vogue featured three beautiful plus-size models on their June cover, the industry has been coming around to the idea that the public is ready for and asking that gorgeous, full-figured models have a significant place in fashion, beauty, and style. Great, right? Well, yes and no. The proliferation of plus-sized models may be a step in the right direction, but the fashion industry is just as fickle with the heavier models as it is with the skinnier ones.

Marquita Pring, who appeared on that June cover, admitted that she's worn thick foam padding under outfits to make her look heavier, rounder, and smoother. We can't win.

I wrote a while back about Simply Be, a plus-size clothing site with clothes that are way better than average. But I hadn't looked at it in a while, at least until a reader wrote in with a photo of a dress she'd purchased from the site.

Simply Be is worth writing about again, because the clothes are just wonderful. They're cut to flatter fuller figures and if you wear plus-size clothing, you should know about this site.

Check out this maxi dress (Simply Be, $89), for example. It's gorgeous -- and if you don't want to put your arms on display, top off the look with a cardi or shrug.

Want to see more cute looks from Simply Be? Read on!

It seems like Queen Latifah has done it all -- star in tons of successful flicks and TV shows, put out best-selling albums, and serve as a successful spokeswoman for major brands like Cover Girl and Jenny Craig. Now, she's the latest celeb to take a stab at peddling on HSN. Specifically, the multi-talented actress plans to sell clothing and accessories as part of a "lifestyle brand" called Queen, which will launch in August.

The line will feature sweaters, jeans, leggings, T-shirts, handbags, and clip-in hair extensions for women of all sizes, not just plus-sizes, because as Latifah says:

 We all want to wear beautiful, fly clothes no matter what size you are, and so for me it was important to match with a company that understood and respected that ideal.

Now, I don't know about you, but the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word Queen is ... Prince William's grandmother. Then, a rock band from the '70s.

I do love the H&M. The inexpensive Scandinavian clothes, the feeling that you're in some secret club when no one recognizes your trench as being from a mass retailer. It's lovely. But one problem I've always faced, as a woman with breasts, is that their size L in shirts and dresses isn't exactly booby-friendly. I wonder what happens when a woman who actually is large tries these shirts on, since I waver between a size 8 and 12, depending on the store. And while they do have a smattering of sizes above 8, they're usually items that lean more towards "retail store uniform" rather than "hippest thing on my block."

Which is why I have so much hope for the latest from H&M since they've gone and hired a (wait for it ...) plus-sized model!