Celebrity hairstylist Andy Lecompte celebrates opening of his first salon

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Despite the drizzle, fans and celebrity clients of hairstylist Andy Lecompte came out to toast him and the opening of his new West Hollywood salon Thursday night.

Nicole Richie floated about wearing a billowing red muu muu and a gold, Cleopatra-meets-1920s flapper headdress, Lindsay Lohan bopped around behind girlfriend Sam Ronson’s DJ setup in a simple black V-neck dress and miles of flowing red hair, and Jenni Kayne (whose boutique is next door to the salon) played it cool as party hostess in a subdued black and gray ensemble.

Lecompte, who styles a lot of celeb hair in Hollywood including Penelope Cruz, Lohan and Richie, most notably works with Madonna. He tours with her, coiffing the Material Girl for concerts and also designing the overall style of hair for the show. He and his business partner and fellow stylist Leanne Citrone opened the salon, which also has a resident makeup artist and manicurist, after working together for years, at Prive then Chris McMillan salons.

Even after living the rock-star-on-the-road lifestyle five months out of the year, it’s the simple details that Lecompte loves about having his own salon. “I love the way the water is served -- in a nice, proper carafe. The coffee is served in a cute cup and saucer with a biscuit. It’s something we used to joke about when we were going through the process of getting permits. We were like, ‘Can’t we just talk about the cups and saucers?’ ” joked Lecompte. Citrone’s favorite part of the salon is the artwork hanging on almost every wall of the salon, which are photo-based pieces from L.A. artist Paul Rusconi. “He’s amazing!” she said. “He’s gonna be the next Chuck Close.”

Guests kept their focus on the bar, which was set up at the hair-washing sinks that held all the ice for drinks and the candy bar stations stocked with everything from gummy bears to Nerds. Stylist Rachel Zoe even filled a plastic baggie with Hershey’s kisses before grabbing a gift bag filled with Joico hair products on her way out the door.

Sugar highs wore off and people left to face the rain while waiting at valet -- refreshingly, no one seemed too concerned with their hair.The website is: www.andylecomptesalon.com.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: Top right, Andy Lecompte and Nicole Richie. Bottom left, Lianne Citrone and Jenni Kayne. Credit: Wireimage