• American Apparel can add an investor lawsuit to its list of troubles. They allege that Dov Charney has misled them and mismanaged the company. [PRLog]
• Meanwhile, analysts predict the overextended chain will close many of its unprofitable, redundant stores. [Crain's]

• Gabourey Sidibe is rumored to be doing a cosmetics collection with Bobbi Brown. [WWD]
• Zandra Rhodes wants to dress Lady Gaga. Which designer doesn't? [Vogue UK]

• Essence editor Angela Burt Murray says the uproar about the hiring of Elianna Placas, a white woman, as fashion director is baseless. Placas, a frequent freelancer, was chosen for "her creativity, vision, [and] the positive reader response to her work."

• To pursue her goal of creating the world's ugliest clothing in every design category known to man, Lindsay Lohan is reportedly in talks to launch a line of handbags with Ed Hardy. [E]

"How wonderful life is, now that Gaga's in the world," warbled Elton John. Hyperbolic? Maybe: but red carpets are sure a lot weirder! The amfAR New York Gala is always star-studded and fab, but it's never been this...odd.

September's Harper's Bazaar is 110 editorial pages of beautiful contradictions. Is fall about the 40s or the 80s? Do all black women roam the African savannah, or do some of them also sing in jazz clubs? Photoshop: Pro or con?

Happy Monday, friends! So, here was one of those cases where our stodgy old American ideas of "good" and "bad" just don't apply — and the Euro-fashionistas at the Uomo Vogue 40th Anniversary Celebration Party in Milan wouldn't care if they did. We've got Naomi Campbell, Gucci creative director Frida Giannini, Natalia…

• God bless Vivienne Westwood for being so undeniably herself. Says the fashion designer-cum-philosopher: "I'd like to do less, but there are people dependent on me now. My thing has always been, just let me finish this pair of trousers and then I can read my book. We've all got to wear something, I suppose. So my…

Okay let's cut to the chase: Last night. Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala. Theme was "Superheroes." Everyone and their brother was there. I've broken the photos down into Good, Bad, and Ugly for your viewing pleasure. The Good — including Victoria Beckham, Christina Ricci, Diane Kruger, Iman, Mischa…

• "We'll get her," says Harvey Weinstein of ELLE's Nina Garcia (Weinstein) is being sued for breach of contract for taking Project Runway from Bravo to Lifetime. While Weinstein is probably the first person to say anything about wanting to continue to work with Garcia, we find his statement more creepy than…

New Yorkers for Children is a really amazing organization, providing social service programming for kids in the New York City foster care system. Also, Vogue editor Anna Wintour is one of its lead supporters, which is why the who's who of fashion and Hollywood all turned up for the organization's annual gala last…

• Takashi Murakami: would you just look at that fucking face? That is a face that will almost melt your cynicism away. You'll forget most people know who he is because he designed a line of handbags for Louis Vuitton...
  
• And that handbag line got knocked off to the point that he's arguably America's most famous…

Although last night's NYC premiere of The Other Boleyn Girl boasted plenty of boldfaced names from the worlds of fashion, New York society, and Hollywood, Scarlett Johannson was, strangely, nowhere to be seen. However, Natalie Portman was there, and the vegan shoe designer showed off one of her best looks as of late:…

• Miramax mogul Harvey Weinstein and Marchesa co-designer Georgina Chapman got hitched on Saturday night at Weinstein's home in Westport, CT. The bride wore Marchesa, the groom Tom Ford, the Gypsy Kings gave a private concert and even Vogue's Anna Wintour attended. Also there: Model Natalia Vodianova, celebrity stylist…

• Italian designer Gianfranco Ferre, the "architect of fashion" (and favorite designer of Oprah Winfrey) died yesterday at the age of 62 from a brain hemorrhage. In addition to designing his own eponymous label, he created scandal by being [gasp!] an Italian overseeing Dior, from 1989-1996. Nonsensical statement from…

• Model Twiggy says she now has two personas and will start tracking down and fining anyone who subjects either one of them to "overexposure" by publishing unauthorized photos of them. [Vogue UK]
  
• Once-iconic label Bill Blass [Remember the Bill Blass Barbie? Uh, we didn't either. -Ed.] has lost head Michael Volbracht.…