Les Scandals!

Don't we all love scandals, especially the kind you can sink your teeth in and talk about all the time. Here are some of fashion's favourite scandals from all over the world, peppered with some of our very own…

1. MURDER

1995: Maurizio Gucci, the last member of the family to run the eponymous company is shot dead by a young Sicilian on the steps of his Milan office; his wife Patrizia Reggiani, ordered the Mafia style coup and is sentenced to 26 years in the cink.

1997: Gianni Versace is tragically murdered outside his Miami home at the age of 50 by Andrew Cunanan, a male prostitute who'd gone on a killing spree. A few days later the murderer was himself found dead on a houseboat in Miami.

2009: Sheikh Amir Hassan, a self proclaimed Pakistani fashion designer is found dead in his apartment, notoriously referred to as 'Sheikh Villa'. Two young boys confess to the crime, alleging that the designer had promised them a career in modeling in exchange of sexual favours.

2. TAX EVASION

1996: Giorgio Armani denies accusations against him for tax evasion; he is fined $64,000 and ordered to complete a nine month suspended jail sentence.

1990 to 2009: Many Pakistani designers, couturiers especially, continue to operate from private workshops (better known as kaarkhanas) without owning proper and legitimate retail spaces as to avoid taxes. Many of them charge millions for bridal ensembles, without even having a registered business. Call this tax evasion? We call it daylight robbery!

3. ASSAULT

2000: Super model Naomi Campbell pleads guilty in Toronto to an assault charge for beating an assistant. Campbell is later sued in 2003 by a former assistant who claims the supermodel threw a phone at her during a tantrum. In March 2006, the model is preparing for an appearance on Oprah when she accuses her housekeeper of taking a pair of jeans. In a fit of rage she allegedly throws the cell phone at the women's head, causing lacerations that require four stitches.

2008: Shaan and Iman Ali take to verbally assaulting each other on a Lux Style Awards platform. While Iman defends Shoaib Mansoor -director Khuda Kay Liye - for his brilliant skills, she insidiously accuses her co-star (implying Shaan) of being uncooperative and unprofessional. Shaan as a result lashes out at both of them all in his usual sarcastic manner.

4. THEFT

2001: Winona Ryder attempts to leave Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills with $5500 worth of clothing and accessories in her bag but she is stopped by security and later testifies in court. She is sentenced to 480 hours of community service, $3700 in fines and $ 6355 in restitution to the Saks Fifth Avenue. In 2008 Ryder nabs again, making headlines when she leaves a Hollywood store with make up she neglects to pay for.

2006: Nadya Mistry accuses Amir Adnan of stealing her tailor, who actually turns out to be a qualified AIFD graduate. The plot thickens when the student, Riaz Usman, proclaims to have been professionally exploited while working for Ms Mistry. Caught in the cross fire, he ends up unemployed.