Couture Zen LLC

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Introduction

**NOTE** PLEASE READ FULL PROFILE PRIOR TO CONTACTING. ***Small Businesses on Thumbtack GET CHARGED $5-$60 for each client inquiry; please be sure that a business's services are what you're looking for prior to contacting or send a general inquiry via that business's website. Thank you for supporting small business! **** CUSTOM DESIGN: For all custom design work, I have a minimum base price of $1500 (commensurate with project details). Please only contact if you're comfortable with that and ready to get your project going. I do not offer alterations, minor modification work or copy dresses/items from fast fashion. Please be sure that our services are what you need before you reach out. We do full-scale costume builds, custom suiting for men & women as well as couture-level gowns with infinite customizability. ABOUT: Couture Zen is Melynda Choothesa, a tenured, Clio Award-winning fashion stylist & costume designer, and custom fashion designer of 15+ years in fashion editorial, film, music videos, television, commercials, red carpet & personal styling. Melynda has worked with Bad Bunny, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Akon, Aisha Tyler, Bhad Bhabie, GM, Google, Youtube, Mazda, LabSeries, HauteLook & many more. Her personal styling clients range from busy moms to real estate agents, to entertainment executives (& everything in between). **REPEAT NOTE** Small Businesses on Thumbtack get charged $5-$60 for each client inquiry; please be sure that a business's services are what you're looking for prior to contacting or send a general inquiry via that business's website. Thank you for supporting small business!

Overview

Hired 16 times

Background checked

1 employee

16 years in business

Business hours

Sun8:00 am - 8:00 pmMon8:00 am - 8:00 pm

Payment methods

This pro accepts payments via Apple Pay, Cash, Check, Credit card, PayPal, Square cash app, Venmo, and Zelle.

Social media

Facebook, Instagram

Projects and media

72 photos

Projects and media

72 photos

Reviews

Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and responsiveness.

Exceptional 5.0

12 reviews

100%

Clara w.

Jul 21, 2019

Hired on Thumbtack

Details: Suit • Shirt • Design new garment • Satin • Polyester / rayon • At the pro’s location

Alterations, Tailoring, and Clothing Design

Matt P.

Aug 14, 2019

Couture Zen (Melynda) was excellent, and honestly better than I expected. This was my first journey into the world of "styling" services, so I really didn't know what to expect, and was fairly hesitant, and honestly cynical towards it. I've seen my share of eye-roll reality shows on how this process might go; she proved me wrong. Melynda's approach is nothing short of thorough and professional, and very comprehensive for what she charges. To elaborate, I thought she was "expensive" at first, but after our first day, I realized the value of services like hers, and that she was worth every penny; I've been getting compliments ever since (from both male and female!). This alone was 100% worth it, and I underestimated the effects of how great this feels! Typically, it seems she starts by doing a preliminary review of what your desired "look" is, by requesting you to compile images and looks. Next, on our first in-person appointment, she did a COMPLETE overview of my existing closet. Another thing I was very pleased with, is how comfortable she made me feel throughout the entire process, nary a judgement, but 100% professionalism and necessary objectivity. The 2nd meeting was our shopping meeting, and we visited various stores she recommended based on my desired looks, and we spent the day pouring through clothing (I suggest powering up and preparing by drinking lots of coffee and bringing snacks!). Overall, my consultation involved two in-person meetings, and over a dozen communications / follow-ups throughout the course of her services, which took the span of approx. 2-3 weeks. Don't be fooled people; Melynda is not an "overnight Instagram stylist" who basically tells you what to wear and not to wear; she digs deep, gets to know YOU as a person first, and curates all her services specifically for each client. I got to know her, and her business pretty well throughout the time we spent, and it was clear she was a veteran and knew exactly what she was doing. She seemingly handles a multitude of clients, including a spectrum of body-types, looks, and ages, which I later realized why she was so in-demand. Another surprising skill was her ability to find amazing deals, as well as her amazing connections with department stores and employees (again -- she's a veteran folks, this is what you're paying for). Bottomline: she definitely turned my view of stylists upside-down, and I have nothing but respect for her and her industry. Services like hers is not something you're going to need routinely (if the stylist does their job correctly), but I would suggest everyone utilize a stylist at least once, whether you're a business-professional (like myself), or simply need help in changing your wardrobe and style. Don't think of her services as merely assembling "clothing", but more so understanding the concepts behind fashion, the importance of fit, color-theory, and basically changing your look and approach to clothing from the inside-out!

Past Customer

Mar 17, 2020

From Google

I have had the privilege of working with Couture Zen several times for photoshoots. She is always professional, creative beyond measure, and absolutely wonderful to work with. One experience I had is a client hiring a stylist, and last minute the stylist cancelled! Never in my history of shooting have I experienced such lack of professionalism. While the client was distracted with hair and make up, I quickly contacted Melynda of Couture Zen and asked if there was any way she could come and save the day. I was amazingly grateful that she was able to. She pulled together the most amazing outfits and accoutrements in record time, and the shoot was saved. I will always be eternally grateful for that save, and she has been my go to stylist ever since.

Matt P.

Jun 11, 2020

Working w/ Melynda was excellent! I wasn't sure what to expect, as I've never worked with a "stylist", and assumed services like this cost a fortune, and were a luxury only reserved for high-profile celebs and public figures, but apparently not! I'm a working professional, and simply needed some good tips transitioning into a new position in my career. To be quite honest, "everyone" could use a stylist in their back pocket. After the entire process, I realized that finding a good stylist, is akin to having a good family doctor, therapist, or that reliable handyman that can fix anything; it's a valuable resource that shouldn't be overlooked. Melynda's services are basically broken up into several sessions that involve in-depth consultation, and action. Our initial meeting was entirely remote over Zoom, which was hugely convenient. And to be clear, all of her services were well before the pandemic, but I just wanted to highlight how flexible, convenient, and painless she made this, as it was clear it wasn't going to be easy for us to meet in person, at first. Anyways, we had a great 45-60 min talk over the kind of looks I was going for, and my overall style inspirations, etc, and similar to a therapist, she asked me questions and we explored avenues I never thought we'd go down. She made me realize a lot of things about myself, and the way I presented myself to the world, and to be honest, we could've stopped there and I would've been satisfied.  Very valuable insights. However, the next session involved an entire audit of my closet, in-person of course, and lasted several hours. This was pretty amazing too, and long story, short -- Melynda made me realize that I had been buying the WRONG size clothes nearly my entire adult life! Ugh. The next session was the "shopping" session a week later, where as you could guess -- we basically visited multiple stores trying to find the pieces to complete my "look". In terms of budget, Melynda was great and very conscious of it. In my mind before all of this, I was begrudging going to high-end department stores and luxury retailers, and fearing I'd be spending a fortune, which I discussed up front with her. She made it very clear I was totally under the wrong assumption, and essentially said her job was to not only enhance the confidence of her clients, but to also save them money in ways that they wouldn't realize. Later, I realized what she meant. To my surprise, she took us to Target, and I couldn't believe the amazing clothes we found there! Don't get me wrong, we shopped at Bloomingdales and the Beverly Center shops also, but I just had no idea I could find such great clothes at Target for cheap. Simply amazing.

Anyways -- sorry to go on and on, but in the end, her services were so valuable to me, and I just really wanted to do her justice in this review. I've already made it a point and discussed with Melynda that I'd like to do this at least 1-2x a year; again, look at this as a yearly 'physical' or doctor visit, folks, it's invaluable. Book Couture Zen with confidence, it seriously changed my life and the way I present myself to the world. I've already had colleagues and clients give me 2nd looks, and asking things like "have you lost weight?" or "that jacket is amazing, where did you find that?" LOL.

Levi M.

Oct 30, 2019

My experience at Couture Zen was AMAZING. The styling, creativity, and attentiveness of Melynda are unmatched. HANDS DOWN the best experience I've had on the West Coast.

Credentials

Background Check

Melynda Frye

FAQs

What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
I have a three-hour minimum for fashion styling services and a $1200 minimum for custom design work.
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I like to get to know the person I am working with so I can make workable recommendations for his/her personality that feel native to him/her as a person. I also make sure I start with a closet organization/seeing what is already there to work with to build a foundation upon.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I studied fashion design at Santa Monica College, and I also have a background in fashion wholesale, photo shoot production, and costume design. I've also been working with personal styling/image consulting/fashion editorial clients for the past 15 years.

Couture Zen LLC

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