Creative sensational from different parts of the world taking style, beauty and definition of fashion to its edge, promotional linchpin of a multibillion-dollar industry, I am talking about nothing else but Fashion Weeks. Fashion weeks are hallmarks of fashion industry to rollout the new season feel in fashion. They generally last up to a week allowing fashion designers, artists and fashion houses to display their latest collection. It hallmarks next seasons “in” things, that’s why it is very important for buyers, media, celebrities and entertainment industry who take that fashion among the general public.

The most famous fashion weeks are held at Fashion Mecca Paris, Milan, London and New York. Since the new millennium fashion weeks are held in different parts of the world to put the local fashion on the world map and making a packed fashion calendar throughout the year. A refreshing sense of national identity and pride has emerged from the achievements of fashion sector - something that was otherwise traditionally been restricted to feats of sporting prowess, adding that its benefits go well beyond the fashion world (Emling 2006).

Fashion weeks are held several months in advance giving chance to designers, media and buyers to preview the trend for the next season. Fashion weeks are bi-annual events; the fashion weeks conducted between January and March are called “fall fashion weeks” whereas the one conducted in September through November are called “Spring Fashion Weeks”. Some fashion weeks can be genre-specific, such as a Miami Fashion Week (Swimwear), Prêt-a-Porter (ready-to-wear) Fashion Week, Couture (one-of-a-kind designer original) Fashion Week, Palm Springs Fashion Week (Resort Collections) and Bridal Fashion Week.

Moving away from the wintery shades of grey that were popular in Autumn/Winter 2006, fashion for spring 2007 is set to be inspirational, retro and colourful.

A gradual move into the new season sees the monochrome look coming into its own. The striking black and white livens up the mood from the previous season over into a fresher looking spring with the revival of 1960’s fashion.

Towards the end of the Autumn/Winter season, fashion hinted at mini lengths – a trend that is definitely sticking around and is most certainly key this spring. The love for metallics is set to continue well into spring.

It’s important to remember variations of key transitional styles. We loved metallics and sequins, but spring’s look is futuristic with an emphasis shiny metallics. Much coveted sequins have been replaced with other forms of shimmery embellishment, particularly around the neckline. Celebrities have been lining up to get embellished, with dresses shining with mirror beads, metals, crystals and diamantes.

Monochrome is a particularly hot look that suits blondes and brunettes alike. It’s hard to imagine the relevance of mono black and white tones for the spring season. The new sixties mini cuts of spring makes the monochrome look work.

Interesting this season sees fashions first retro foray into the 1990’s.

Experimentation with vintage clothing and eighties retro dressing has exploded over the past few years evident with the opening of more vintage boutiques and the re-emergence of leggings. Only now is fashion “retro” dressing back as early as the nineties, as hints of bright neon colours and rave scene prints surface to grab fashion’s limelight.

The neon look is cleverly being introduced into our fashion conscience having been applied to current must haves. Realising that leggings and footless tights are here to stay, the spring season sees the prominence of neon footless tights - http://www.discoo.co.uk/pamela-mann-footless-neon-tights-p-158 6.html - and leggings, a change from the safe black of last season.
About Author
Leon is a fashion writer for online fashion store Discoo - http://www.discoo.co.uk

India is becoming the latest fashion hub for the fashionistas. Indian designers are no longer confined to the domestic fashion and apparel market, they are gaining recognition and fame from all over the world. The various government policies and a boom in fashion industry have made it possible. One of the major breakthrough provided to Indian designers to showcase their talents are through the medium of fashion shows. Lakme India Fashion Show is the most popular fashion show celebration of India where the talents of already established and upcoming designers are showcased.

This event is a fashion celebration laced with lots of glamour and national as well as international media coverage. This time lakme India fashion week was held at Mumbai from 31st Oct- 4th Nov. Many high profile designers as well as audience witnessed this fashion fiesta. Famous bollywood celebrities were part of it.

Eminent designers like Surily Goel, Narendra Kumar, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Nalandda Bhandari, Nandita Mahtani, Anand Kabra, Abhishek Dutta , Wendrell Rodericks, Anupama Dayal, Vikram Phadnis, Chaitanya Rao, Sanchita, Savio Jon, Payal Singhal, Sanjay Malhotra, James Ferriera, Priyadarshini Rao, etc presented their spring/summer 2007 collection. Also South African designer duo Sun Goddess and Clive Rundle presented their collection.

Brief descriptions of some designer’s creative work are as follows :-

Nalandda Bhandari

Nalandda Bhandari designs simple yet attractive and wearable collection under the brand name ‘Nasha’. She named her spring/summer 2007 collection ‘Free Spirit’. She covered all patterns and styles of contemporary women clothing, dress patterns like- tunics, kaftans, tube dress, skirts, shirts and burnt gold evening gown dominated her show. She played with glamour clad fabrics like chiffon, silk, georgette, voile, cotton and crepe. Her collection was largely ruled by animal prints and embroideries like African embroidery, sequin embroidery, etc. She also presented her men collection. She included her logo of rose embroidery in almost every outfit.

Narendra Kumar

The very famous designer Narendra Kumar presented his spring/summer collection 2007 at Lakme Fashion Week. The collection was named as ‘Love Touches You’. He presented a perfect blend of traditional and contemporary designing paired beautifully with each other. The women’s line of western collection had smocked & pleated skirts, balloon skirt with shirt dress, half collars, bloomers, chiffon with appliqué sleeves, etc which were created with the designer’s unique touch and detailing. The preferred fabrics by the designer were cotton, georgette, net, silk, mull and linen. The collection was unique but wearable in terms of design and pattern.

The men collection was very stylish and appealing in nature. Men models walked the ramp with elaborate embroidered batik styled shirts paired with stylish trousers completed with patch pockets and shiny zippers. Fun element of, feminity to male garments was provided by showcasing sophisticated floral printed baggy tops paired with tight fitting pants and capris. The choice of colors was dull jade, beige, blue, brown, saffron and white. Complicated embroidery, smocking, appliqué work and shadow work were part and parcel of his creative designing. The fun element was when the famous model turned actor John Abraham walked the ramp with white linen suit. Thus he complied every bit of creativity and entertainment aspects to his collection which gained him standing ovation by the audience and showering of red.

Surily Goel

Surily Goel is young and talented designer who even designs for film personalities. Her latest creation on big screen was for actress Preity Zinta for the film ‘Jaan-e-Mann’. Her collection presented the carefree and sensual side of women’s clothing. This year’s collection was marked by knee-length skirts of georgette, crochets, chiffon, light silks and organdy, highlighting pleats and waist gathering with satin belts. Also single piece bubble outfits created in wide range of colors and fabrics. In this time’s collection she used more of small colored stones.

The presence of film personalities like Dino Morea, Sonali Bendre, Neelam Kothari, Fardeen Khan, Sameera Reddy and Tara Sharma in the audience during her collection put the star element into the show.

Chaitanya Rao

Chaitanya Rao’s collection was like early morning breeze with booming petals of budding roses. The delicate fabrics like georgette and chiffon provided that sexy feminine look to her collection. As her signature, she included moth in the form of embroidery or appliqué in all of her garments. The models took over the ramp with her mesmerizing feminine collection comprising of hem blouses with theme embroideries, pleated mini skirts with batik prints, moth appliqué blouses, long frayed double hem dresses, pale grey chiffon tunic, cream color chiffon bubble dress, dolman sleeved hipster blouses, the list goes on. To accessorize her collection she used thin and broad belts.

Sanchita

Sanchita’s collection presented in Lakme Fashion Week was bold yet wearable. She divided her collection into three segments- Punk chic, Copacabana and Swinging deco. The stunning designer pieces of bikinis and pareos, Hawaiian inspired kaftans, small balloon skirts, floaty dresses and minis provided the feeling of the beaches of Copacabana, St. Tropez and Riviera to the audience. Her collection was quite glamorous consisting of outfit like grey T-shirts with silver leggings, lycra T-shirts having sleeve ornamentations, strapless dresses accompanied with necklaces, earrings and brooches.

The men collection was marked by casual wear T-shirts, poplin trousers with detailed embroideries and white tuxedo jackets.

The garments were decorated with semi precious stones or with attractive patch works. Her line of collection was dominated by colors like white, apatite, agate, jade, opal and black onyx. The garments were accessorized with intrinsically crafted jewelry and bags.

Savio Jon

This designer emphasized heavily on the comfort factor of the garments. Savio Jon is well known for his simple yet attractive clothing lines which are high on value and seductive quotient. Unlike other designers he preferred his garments to hang loose around the body instead of body hugging/tight fitting clothes. He used free flowing fabrics like fish net, mul, chiffon, georgette and crepe.

Pinafore silhouette, long lean maxis, oversized blouses, deep shoveled armholes, low back and front necklines, were some types of garments he presented. In evening wear he glamorized the tubular silhouettes with shimmers. The ranges of colors choosed by him for his collection were beige, grey, brown, black, pale yellow and white. Thus the colors were also sober and subtle.

Payal Singhal

Payal Singhal for the first time presented her collection in Lakme Fashion Week. Her designer collection for women were designed keeping in mind today’s working women’s needs and comfort level. Stylish yet affordable was the key element associated with her collection. She beautifully used cutwork, satin, georgette, jacquard, tulle, cotton, crepe, taffeta, brocade and seersucker in club and partywear for dresses and tunics. Her display of outfits on ramp descended gracefully from daywear to glamorous evening wear. She started her showcasing of designs in oyster white color then, tea rose, yellow, coffee, watermelon to grapefruit color. Display of tunics and blousons were coupled with melon, gold or silver tights. The signature outfit was the oyster white kaftan embellished with golden embroidery.
Sanjay Malhotra

Sanjay Malhotra named his spring/summer 2007 collection –‘Dejavu’. The key phrase which inspired him for this collection was –Life through my rose colored glasses. He instead of sticking only to free flowing usual feminine fabrics, even experimented with fabrics like fur, leather, voiles, denim, suede and laces which were highly appealing to today’s power packed independent women. The beautiful mix-n-match of these fabrics in sober as well as striking colors presented a collection that was bold enough yet stylish and wearable. Few of the many outfits displayed by him were- ivory colored mirror jacket with chiffon sleeves, colorful corset skirt accompanied with net petticoat, tunic with fur edge, etc. His collection was for the woman who likes to seek attention of the crowd and be different.

Clive Rundle and Sun Goddess

Clive Rundle and Sun Goddess were two international South African designers who presented their collection at Lakme Fashion Week. Fusion was the key style of their outfits. Extravagant layered dresses and skirts, jackets, evening wear, loosely fitted shirts and trousers, long coats and tops were part of their garment showcase. Their choices of colors were mainly creams, cherries, plums, peaches, sapphires, maroons and mauves. The free flowing pleated and layered outfits depicted the south African culture and fashion essence through them.

James Ferriera

James Ferriera made his debut at Lakme Fashion Week. He named his collection ‘Bombay Tokyo’. His collections were inspired by Maharashtra’s rich textile heritage.

The collections were divided into seven segments which were even named. The sari, an ode to devnagari, the hardy traditional towel, black magic, the sholapur story, warli and diwali were the seven names given to the segments.

Traditional warli paintings and paithani motifs were done on the clothes. Very uniquely he transformed the traditional forms of maharashtrian clothing into contemporary designs, like nine yard saris were intelligently converted into tunics. Marigold and leaf motifs were used on black shirts with cowl necks.

NEW YORK — Metropolitan Publishing, along with Debbie Brooks Studio, announces that the pop artist-turned-handbag-and-accessory-designer, Debbie Brooks, has signed a licensing representation agreement with Creative Brands Group (CBG) to license her name and designs. Giving her worldwide representation, Brooks and her business partner/husband, Paul-Philippe d’Auriac, will manage the vision of the brand. In addition, CBG has agreed to license the artist’s brand line Lunachics, which consists of three characters–Starlette, Serafine and Alyssa–who act as role models for young girls, bringing magic to little girls around the world with stardust, rain crystals and magical powers.We think Debbie Brooks has a lot of cache and is a very bright talent in the industry,” says Eric Kuskey, president of CBG. “We believe her brand has tremendous potential across many product categories and industries.”Brooks began her career as a pop artist, all the while working as a designer for Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon and Universal Studios. By night, she would move her images from the canvas onto her patented 3-D medium–with her first being a handbag. Today, her handbags are collected by celebrities, including Jessica Simpson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman and Patti LaBelle.

Earning critical acclaim for her whimsical designs, Brooks has designed collectable limited edition handbags for The Tony Awards, The Four Seasons, the 2004 Olympics, for which Brooks was named the Official Female Pop Artist, as well as Artexpo New York 2005. Her charitable collections have raised thousands of dollars for organizations such as The Avon Breast Cancer Foundation, American Heart Association and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Credited with popularising the “little black dress” and adored by royalty, celebrities and the fashion industry alike, Jean Muir has been hailed as one of Britain’s most successful fashion designers. The long, fluid lines and skillful tailoring of Muir’s creations became a classic emblem of the 1960s.Now, 11 years after her death, more than 18,000 items have been donated to the National Museums of Scotland (NMS) by her husband and business partner Harry Leuckert. The NMS will display some of the work, which is believed to be the largest archive of a fashion designer in a museum collection in the world.

The Newport News Police Department prepared the following article for Crime Control Digest.

The problem with active warrants and fugitive apprehension is a concern that every law enforcement agency faces. The Newport News Police Department is no exception.

With over 4,000 active warrants, Chief James D. Fox was confronted with a situation he found unacceptable.

Fox, who became chief in August 2004, understood this situation had to be addressed. He stated, “When I arrived at the Newport News Police Department, I thought we had enough people assigned to the task of fugitive apprehension. After time however, I began to understand that the situation was bigger than I originally thought and that measures had to be taken to correct the issue.”Fox proposed that every wanted person should be listed in the local newspaper.

The department made this initiative part of its “No More Crime” program and moved actively toward addressing the problem of outstanding warrants.

This initiative would give the police, citizens, businesses and other agencies an opportunity to work together in apprehending wanted criminals.

In making a commitment to getting everyone in the city energized about the idea, the chief said the drive to get criminal off the streets “could impact our city’s crime rate.”

In researching the data on the active warrants, the department found that 46 percent of the warrants were for individuals who had addresses outside the city.
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This information made the need for an advertisement even more logical. Lt. Mike New, who oversaw the original project stated, “Typically, the police department sent letters to the non-violent fugitives outside the city advising them of the active warrant and directing them how to turn themselves in for the service of the warrant. In regard to violent offenders or felonies, we relied on the jurisdiction in which the fugitive lived to serve the warrant.”

The department moved to expand this effort. Using the proposed advertisement, the department believed the ad would make every citizen who read the “Wanted” list an active collaborator in looking for even the most violent criminals.

In assessing this strategy Chief Fox commented, “This program would let the community and our officers know that this is a team effort. By asking the community for its assistance, the police department is building trust, communication and teamwork with the citizens. This is an important function of all police departments.”

After continued research, the department made the decision to obtain a two-page advertisement in the local newspaper, The Daily Press.

This was an unprecedented endeavor in Southeast Virginia. Personnel from the department’s Public Information Office met with newspaper officials to work out details for the ad layout and pricing.

Police personnel also met with the staff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to discuss sponsoring the ad in conjunction with the “Project Safe Neighborhood” program.

The department organized detectives, officers, police dispatchers and civilian personnel throughout the department to handle the day-to-day functions of the project.

Tying in the apprehension of wanted individuals and the need to keep guns and drugs off city streets, the U.S. Attorney’s Office found the funding to sponsor the two-page ad.

“The Department of Justice granted the funding because this was an initiative program,” said Fernando Groene, managing assistant of the U.S. Attorney’s Office

“It showed creativity in handling the problem of outstanding warrants and it used the resources of state and federal government in solving the problem.”

The advertisement listed every outstanding warrant in the City of Newport News and gave the phone number of the Fugitive Apprehension Unit for citizens to call if they had information.

Police personnel and volunteers manned the phone lines.

Also, sworn police personnel actively targeted those individuals with active warrants.

“Persons with names on the list who called were directed to turn themselves in to have the warrant served,” said Lt. Mike New.

“Lead sheets were completed on tips that were received from citizens calling in information on the location of fugitives. The lead sheets were given immediately to a detective in the office to research and determine if an active warrant existed. This information was sent to an operation street team for an attempt service of the warrant if active warrants were located.”

Deputies from the Newport News Sheriffs Department and police officers transported the prisoners. The Sheriffs Department agreed to handle the entire booking and magistrate process. There were officers assigned to serve the warrants on fugitives who turned themselves in for arrest.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation had been informed of the operation and agreed to send nine agents to complement 141 personnel from the Newport News Police Department.

Soon after its publication, the ad became known simply as “The List” and was an absolute success.

Newport News Police PIO Officer Lou Thruston noted, “The Daily Press sold every newspaper they printed that day. Even local businesses called to ascertain when the next ‘List’ would be printed so they could increase their advertisement potential. The mere fact that every paper sold out and that we received numerous calls from citizens showed how this program had a positive affect on the community.”

MCCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everyone. It’s good to be back from a good trip to South America. The president was pleased to visit Argentina, and he had a good visit with President Kirchner. He was pleased to participate in the meetings of the Summit of the Americas, and also pleased to meet with President Lula in Brazil and visit Panama as well. The first time he had been to Panama, and it was a very good visit.

The trip was very good in the sense that it reaffirmed the commitment of the nations to move forward on strengthening democratic institutions and advancing opportunity and prosperity in the region for all people. It was a good discussion about ways to lift people out of poverty and good discussion on moving forward on the Doha round. There was also good discussion about reaffirming our commitments to important shared values and principles, such as freedom of religion and freedom of speech, adhering to the rule of law, fighting corruption.

And so the president was very pleased with the trip. And we are glad to be back, and look forward to going to Asia next week. The president had some good interviews earlier this morning with some foreign print media from those countries that we will be traveling to early next week.

And with that, I’ll be glad to go to your questions.

QUESTION: Does the president know about and approve of the probe which is being announced by the House and Senate of the leak of the story about the CIA secret prisons…
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MCCLELLAN: I just saw the announcement on that. That was a decision made by the speaker and the majority leader.

QUESTION: I want to know what the president thinks about it.

MCCLELLAN: Well, we just found out about it not long ago.

QUESTION: Well, does he think that’s a good idea?

MCCLELLAN: Well, I think that you’ve heard him express his views: The leaking of classified information is a serious matter, and it ought to be taken seriously.

MCCLELLAN: But this is a congressional prerogative, and it was a decision that was made by those leaders. And that’s the way I would describe it.

QUESTION: I just wondered whether the White House basically endorses this under the circumstances.

MCCLELLAN: It was their decision. That is the way I would describe it. You might want to ask them questions about their decisions.

QUESTION: The ethics briefings that began today, can you describe in some fashion what the presentation is that White House staffers are hearing for an hour?

MCCLELLAN: Sure.

And, first, let me just step back and talk about these so everybody in the room is familiar with what we are doing.

The president takes the issue of the handling of classified information very seriously. And about a week ago, or just over a week ago at Camp David, he visited with his chief of staff, Andy Card, and his counsel, Harriet Miers, about some steps that we should take here at the White House.

And the president directed that action be taken to provide refresher briefings for all White House staff, that includes staff within the White House as well as staff within the Executive Office of the President. That would include agencies that operate within the White House, such as the Office of Management and Budget and the Council on Environmental Quality and a number of others.

The White House staff knows very well what is expected of them. They are expected to focus on the people’s business and they are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards. The president has made that clear for quite some time.

The monastery meets the military in this unique coffee creation from Ebru Ercon. The bodice is embellished with leather flowers and a cincture (monk’s belt) style sash. Cut out sleeves are trimmed in leather and the dress is adorned with floor-length, leather-trimmed panels. Worn with black boots, cap and shawl. Sass, class and forward-thinking creativity prevailed during the winter 2005-2006 fashion shows in London. Glamour was prevalent in ball gowns, pantsuits and everyday attire–such as glammed-up, exquisitely styled blouses with puff sleeves, some in sheer fabric, others in glistening satin. Talented British designers demonstrated a flair for the dramatic (Ebru Ercon’s unusual brown and black minidress with floor-length panels); an allegiance to the elegant (Julien McDonald’s black layered-chiffon gown); and an attraction to the avant-garde (Danielle Scutt’s ensemble of oversized cheetah print from neck to toe). And not surprisingly, evening attire was embellished with jewels, sequins and ruffled layers that continued to be favored by the stylish. Glamourous London is calling.

Left: Amanda Wakeley’s sensual brown sheared mink pullover with boat neckline and dolman sleeves is worn over a luxuriously shirred satin champagne-hued skirt.

Right: Make a grand entrance in this deep decolletage black halter gown with an intricately beaded sequined cummerbund. Designer Julien McDonald’s billowing tiers of chiffon will make you the sexiest angel at the gala.
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Opposite page: Julien McDonald’s claret sheer blouse and deep purple slacks are accented with crocheted vest and oversized emerald and silver beads.

Above: Danielle Scutt’s oversized cheetah-print, fitted skirt set boasts a midriff front-zip jacket accented with a salmon-hued blouse. Note the contrasting cheetah-print hosiery and shoes. Over-the-top coordination never looked so chic.

Above, center: Snazzy ensemble from Julien McDonald pairs a sophisticated satin blouse with deep cuffs and puff sleeves with a scoop-neckline knit vest embellished with beads. The matching knit skirt and just the right attitude can flawlessly pull off this gorgeous London city look.

Above, right: British glamour beckons in this lime green, layered chiffon creation from Jenny Packham. The silver-sequined sheer sleeves and dashing crimson detail make you long for spring romance, even in the heart of winter.

Right: Amanda Wakeley’s shimmering champagne-hued opera-style wrap coat with an oversized shawl collar and shirred sleeves is sophistication at its finest. Worn with chocolate pants and a matching belt.

Left: Jasper Conrad’s purple satin wrap dress with chiffon borders and sash summons your undivided attention. This sophisticated look is accessorized with a crushed grape fedora.

Center: Dazzle them all in this stunning bias-cut gold sequined gown with peekaboo shoulders and revealing front split, by Julien McDonald.

Above: British elegance abounds in this silky lavender gown embellished with swirls of sequins. The gorgeous look, by designer Eric Way, is topped off with a regal brocade coat with long fringe and faux fur cuffs and collar. Accessorized with matching sandals and large chandelier earrings.

It’s official–Lance has one. Melissa Etheridge has one. Now city parks have one. Rubber bracelets, made popular by Lance Armstrong’s Live Strong yellow band, are the hot way to gain support for a cause. In fact, many park and recreation agencies are jumping onboard with their own versions.

Milwaukee Recreation just joined the latest fashion trend with a blue “Experience Life” wristband. The department is selling them for $1 each to raise money for the community’s youth programs. “Milwaukee Recreation recognized the value of creating our own wristbands to raise funds and generate awareness for quality youth programs,” said Mary Gissal, Milwaukee Recreation’s director. “I know we’re just jumping on the proverbial bandwagon with this idea, but the wristbands are fun and it’s all for a good cause.”But Milwaukee isn’t the only park department jumping on the bandwagon. Fairfax County Park Foundation in Virginia is also selling a green version of the wristband that reads “Preserve Protect Play.” Its sales will generate money for the county’s parks and recreation programs.

It was the stuff trophy dreams and news headlines are made beautiful 20-year-old model meets the country’s hottest comedian and movie star. Five years and two children later ally pops the question, gives her a huge diamond ring, then marries her in Manhattan s Plaza Hotel, vowing till-death-do-they-part before a glittering crowd of five hundred. “It was one of the most elegant, glamorous and classy weddings” he’d ever witnessed, Donald Trump would later say of the ceremony that united Nicole Mitchell, 25, and Eddie Murphy, 31, in holy matrimony on March 18,1993. Fast-forward a dozen years. The dreams are long gone and the headlines now blare this sobering news: After 12 years of marriage and five children, Nicole Mitchell Murphy splits from husband Eddie Murphy, moves to the other side of Tinseltown, files for divorce–citing that ubiquitous catchall, “irreconcilable differences’–and begins to plan a new life, post–trophy wife. It may not be the happy ending found in storybooks, but neither is this one of those Hollywood cautionary tales starring a bitter first wife or a revenge-seeking gold digger. Nicole Mitchell isn’t up for either of those roles. At 38 she is a woman simply older and wiser and clear-eyed, who found the courage to leave the prince, along with the fantasies. But of course, in Hollywood, that is no small part to play.
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Eddie Murphy was understandably thrown for a loop and no doubt even pissed when his wife left him last June. After all, he was the star whose career had lit up the marquees of Hollywood, with such blockbusters as 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop (I and II), Trading Places and Coming to America, turning him into box-office gold before he reached 30. If anybody was going to do the leaving, you’d think it would be him. So it makes one ask the question: What would make a Hollywood wife with access to fame and wealth and the celebrity good life decide to leave all that?

EXCUSE ME, MRS.

When Nicole Mitchell Murphy meets me in the lobby of a hotel in Los Angeles County’s affluent Manhattan Beach, she looks more Santa Fe laid-back than Hollywood glam. Tall, gray-eyed and ridiculously skinny for a woman who has given birth to five kids, she is wearing an ankle-length, tangerine-colored peasant skirt and white camisole, topped with a cropped denim jacket. Even without makeup, which she seldom wears, and with her hair cut boyishly short, she is striking–and genuinely nice. The only livin’ large giveaway is the big, black Escalade she is driving, which we will tool around in for the next couple of hours. The hotel parking valets, though, have already guessed she is “somebody.” Practically tripping over themselves, they grin and gawk and rush to open the SUV’s doors for both of us. “I know you from somewhere,” one of them says to Nicole as she slides into the driver’s seat. “You think so?” she replies sweetly before putting sandaled foot to the gas pedal and taking off.

It has been eight months since she filed for divorce from Eddie, leaving behind the 35,000-square-foot mansion she’d decorated in luxurious Beverly Park, and moved into a rented place in Manhattan Beach. “It’s been a little fearful,” she says of the split. “I’m starting over, so I know my life is going to be different. I’m used to a certain lifestyle–the mansions, the fancy cars, buying whatever I want.” She pauses and then takes a breath. “But you know what? That doesn’t matter anymore. You can have all the jewelry, you an have all the big houses, but if you’re not happy, it doesn’t mean a thing.”

What Nicole didn’t have in the last few years of her marriage, she says, was Eddie himself–his attention, his time, intimacy and interaction. Like many comics whose brilliance often emanates from a dark place, Nicole says, Eddie Murphy’s real-life persona didn’t mirror the characters he made lovable in such hits as Doctor Dolittle and Daddy Day Care. Hollywood insiders say Murphy’s enormous fame and great wealth have led to a man increasingly reclusive.

His private life was thrown into the headlights when the Los Angeles Police Department caught him with a transvestite in 1997. Nicole was in Sacramento when she found out about the incident. “I heard about it from Eddie first, who called me,” she recalls. “He told me there was this person on the corner crying, so he stopped to help. But I’m thinking, Well, why the hell did you let them get in the car? You want to believe your husband. He would look at me and say things like, ‘I’m the only Black Hollywood actor who doesn’t cheat on his wife,’ and I would believe him. If he told me the sky was green, I’d believe him. I used to hang on every word he said.”

But that was back in the day when Nicole Mitchell, a top-earning model from Sacramento, was being swept off her feet by the funny, charming and powerful Mr. Murphy. Nicole had been modeling for six years when they met at the 1988 NAACP Image Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. She grew up with a British mother who divorced and later remarried Nicole’s Black father, a career air force man. “I didn’t come from much,” Nicole says of her upbringing living in an apartment with her three brothers until she was 17.