As everyone waits and holds their breath for the Louboutins and YSL shoes to go on sale – thinking it will be as soon as April – we have news that you can buy some kick-ass designer shoes this weekend. That’s right! Resurrection on Melrose is putting collections of designer shoes like Alaia, YSL, Westwood and Louboutins on sale for 30 to 50 percent off starting this Saturday – you’ve got to check it out. 8006 Melrose. THey may not be from this season – but that doesn’t mean they aren’t gorgeous – and don’t look completely current.

Andy LeCompte is a hair superstar. He started at Prive’ in Hollywood, then began to get all kinds of superstar clients at the Chris McMillan Salon on Burton Way. One of them was Madonna  - and he went on tour with her. The rest is hairstory, as they say. Madonna helped him open his newish eponymous salon, on Almont Drive near Jenni Kayne’s clothing store – Kayne being a friend and client, and she co-hosted his opening party on Thursday night.

          The bar was set up near the shampoo bowls, and then there was another bar, full of candy. Nicole Richie, in a beautiful orange Issa hippie dress and her own House of Harlow gold headpiece – the headpieces will be sold at LeCompte’s salon – spent much of the evening with her ex-stylist Rachel Zoe, who was wearing the great L.A. designer Raquel Allegra, one of our faves. 

           Lindsay Lohan was also on hand, in a chic Alaia black dress, but not spending too much time with her ex-stylist Rachel Zoe – but dancing to the tunes of her gf Sam Ronson, who was the dj. Also on hand was hairdresser Byron Williams, who just celebrated the arrival of colorist Tracy Cunningham to his Beverly Hills salon last week. At the end of the night, the dance floor actually got a little crazy, and one rambunctious Ms. spilled a whole glass of champagne on top of Lindsay as Lindsay bounced by. LL was not happy with the sticky champagne in her hair. Such is life as the life of the party.

We at Fashion Rules are NOT label whores.

Well, okay – maybe we are!

Look, a great dress is a great dress – but for fifteen years, we’ve heard very little on a major red carpet outside of “Valentino,” “Chanel,” and “Dior.” So it’s really nice and even refreshing to hear OTHER names, particularly those that rarely show up on a red carpet – and have beautiful things.

Hats off to Katie Holmes, who looked JUST HOT in a tight Jil Sander spring 09 dress to the knee – with her short hair, slim cut sheath, and cool label, you could tell she’d lived in New York for the last few months. Jil Sander’s spring collection is one of the hottest ones of spring 09.

January Jones’s dress was lovely – a black halter gown with a hard gold breast place that surrounded her neck and waist – it was simple and dramatic at the same time. And who’s EVER worn Paris designer Andrew Gn on the red carpet?  His clothes are beautiful – and expensive – but they never get on red carpets because he has no Hollywood pr.

Kyra Sedgwick, not exactly known for her fashion forwardness – although she always looks good – donned a strapless vintage Chanel, with a white bustier top and simple black bottom. All Chanel is good – but vintage Chanel is even BETTER – because you can’t identify what collection it’s from. Plus black and white is so hot right now.

Penelope Cruz in her couture Azzedine Alaia was just scalding – have you EVER seen a dress fit like that? Not only that – this was NOT an easy dress to procure. Azzendine’s people just don’t care about red carpets.

Laura Dern wore Burberry – and we are big fans of Burberry designer Christopher Bailey. He rarely does dressy clothes, but his cocktail dresses are always first rate – this was a very interesting way to go.

And Jennifer Morrison wore Paris designer Anne Valerie Hache, who is another great designer who flies below the radar – hopefully now her name will be – maybe not household – but at least, livingroom. – Merle Ginsberg

The Akris spring 09 collection has come all the way to Los Angeles this week, and has been showing all the pieces – jackets, pants, bodysuits, georgette dresses, pale floral print watercolor gowns – on Melrose Place, for stylists and editors, to see for the upcoming awards show onslaught. We got to watch a model sashay in the some of the pieces, which are so well cut and beautifully fitting – the tailoring by Swiss designer Albert Kriemler is just immaculate. The spring collection is particularly a standout from Akris because of the fabrics and colors: a combination of masculine tailoring and incredible feminine fabrics.

The clothes are all paired with a great looking spring shoe cut in a heavy linen by Walter Steiger, and it really works with the shoes. Well, we learned why – Akris, which is based in St. Gallen, Switzerland, is designed by Swiss designer Kriemler – whose cousin is shoe designer, Walter Steiger – who is also Swiss, and who grew up in Geneva. Steiger has stores in New York City and Paris under his own name, but closed his L.A. store on Wilshire a few years ago – but designs for Akris, and has designed the shoes for Alaia, Ungaro, Karl Lagerfeld, Kenzo, Oscar de la Renta and Calvin Klein.

Meanwhile, keep your eyes peeled for the Akris spring 09 collection. We have a feeling you’re going to see more of it on the red carpet fairly soon.

We know how you love your Manolo’s, Louboutin’s, YSL shoes, Helmut Lang’s and – hello, Alaia shoes! Well, since the sales this Thanksgiving were so early and extreme, it’s hard to find any good shoes left in the stores, on sale – no joke, we’ve looked. But if you want to find a cache of great designer shoes on sale, and you happen to be a lucky size eight or eight and a half, check out Resurrection’s website, http://www.resurrectionvintage.com/. Both their LA and NY boutiques are displaying an enormous collection of designer shoes, barely worn or never worn, from the collection of Marcia Berger. She was an illusive fashion devotee, who after her death, left behind a collection of over 3,000 clothing pieces by Rick Owens, Romeo Gigli, Yohji Yamamoto, Helmug Lang, Commes des Garcons, Martin Margiela, etc. Resurrection will be selling off her collection of incredible shoes between December 4 and January 4 – and the prices are around half of the original, although some of the never worn Louboutins are running about $500.00. Check out the site and the stores – and we envy you size 8 and 8 1/2′s out there. – Merle Ginsberg