Elton John has the worst luck, not to mention an overabundance of first-world problems. Seems that instead of attending a benefit in his usual uniform of spangles and live ocelots, he actually had to wear a normal suit.

The horror.

Sir Elton showed up to his namesake AIDS Foundation’s 'An Enduring Vision' benefit in New York on Monday night wearing an everyday boring suit jacket -- and while you'd think such a thing would be appropriate for a soiree in honor of such a somber cause, you'd be wrong.

In fact, the flamboyant singer was so embarrassed by his uncharacteristic clothing choice that he even felt the need to issue "sartorial apologies" for it.

In an amusing anecdote, he told the the crowd that after he discovered he'd left his favorite rhinestone jacket in L.A. by accident, he immediately called his housekeeper and frantically asked her to find the “rhinestone jacket in the cupboard and mail it straight away.”

But something must have gone horribly awry in the translation, because she later sent an email saying, “There is no jacket designed by Ryan Stone in the cupboard.”

As a result, poor Elton had to wear what was probably an incredibly expensive designer suit. But fashion faux pas aside, the benefit raised $2 million, featured a performance by Stevie Nicks, and was attended by notables like Anderson Cooper, Matt Lauer and Brooke Shields -- so the night wasn't a total loss.

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