Halloween weekend in Los Angeles is never quiet, but this year it came with a personal creative marathon. Model and actress Kelsey Merritt, known for her timeless glamour and Filipino-American pride, asked for a Moulin Rouge–inspired “Satine” costume just days before the holiday. Three days later, she walked into a Hollywood party beside actor Chace Crawford wearing a fully custom couture look built from scratch in my downtown LA showroom.
The design started with a single vintage corset—a hand-embellished 1980s showgirl piece I’ve kept in my archive for years. From there, everything had to be reimagined and hand-draped to echo the decadence of Moulin Rouge while staying true to Kelsey’s natural grace. Every bead, fringe, and crystal detail was applied one by one, layer by layer, until the entire silhouette shimmered like moving light.
Creating couture on a 72-hour timeline is an exercise in precision and stamina. Between fabric sourcing, late-night fittings, and endless hand-sewing, the hours blur into a rhythm that feels closer to performance art than production. This build totaled more than 30 hours of needlework and at least seven hours of material sourcing, all done amidst the reality of current tariffs, import bottlenecks, and ongoing shortages that make high-quality materials increasingly difficult to obtain.
In times like these, knowledge of the Los Angeles Fashion District becomes a survival skill. I relied on years of relationships and intuition—knowing which vendors still had deadstock sequins, which suppliers were quietly sitting on quality fringe, which friends might have a yard or two of fabric worth saving. My neighbors in the building, all independent designers themselves, shared remnant textiles that were destined for the trash. Those scraps became the silver fringe and star detailing that caught the flashbulbs at the party.
Couture Zen has always stood at the intersection of art direction, costume design, and cultural storytelling. Collaborating with another AAPI creative on a project that reached global media felt like a full-circle moment. Representation matters—both in front of and behind the camera—and there’s something deeply powerful about seeing Asian-American women designing, building, and wearing couture on major stages.
What people don’t see in the final images are the pin pricks, the improvisations, and the tiny triumphs that happen between caffeine runs. They don’t see the emotional agility required to pivot designs when materials fall through or shipments stall at customs. Couture isn’t just beautiful; it’s survival in sequins.
This project was a reminder that craftsmanship still matters in an era of fast everything. When done right, a costume tells a story—of collaboration, identity, and the persistence of artistry in a shifting economy.
If you’re a creative director, performer, or brand seeking custom design rooted in storytelling and precision, you can explore more of my work at www.couturezen.com or inquire about upcoming commissions.
Making peace with style means honoring the process, not just the outcome.
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