Above the Curve Designs — Local services in Humble

Before I could move forward with utilizing Yani's design services, I was ripped off of a $45 consultation fee. I contacted Yani re: making a dress for me via text. I texted her a pic of the dress I wanted and we discussed fabric color and she sent me 2 pics of fabric suggestions, all via text, from which I selected. Yani texted me a link to schedule a consultation and QR code to pay her consultation fee via Zelle. She also emailed a copy of her contract to sign. I am an attorney and I read thoroughly her contract before signing. About 36 hours after signing the contract and more than 24 hours before the consultation, I canceled my consultation. NOWHERE in the contract does it state that the consultation fee is non-refundable. In fact, the email I received confirming the consultation stated that the consultation could be cancel 24 hours prior to the appointment. While the contract did not state that the consultation was "non-refundable," it did state that the consultation fee would be "applied to you order. Other cases will be specified in the customer invoice." There was no "ORDER" made to apply the consultation fee to, nor was there a invoice sent to me. I received ONLY a link to schedule a consultation and a text with Yani's QR Code to send Zelle payment. Long story short, when I asked about a refund for the consultation fee, I was told that "it's non refundable." She further stated that she "collects fabric samples out of fabric store for the appointment.” As soon as it's paid I go to the fabric store and collect samples,” she said. Note, she sent me fabric pics from which I selected prior to even scheduling the consultation. I pointed out that this provision was NOT in the contract. Even still, if my $45 was used to purchase fabric, I would be entitled to receive the fabric. However, when I asked for the fabric and a receipt, I was initially told NO. After I reminded her that SHE said the funds were used to purchase fabric, she said she could mail the fabric samples to me for $7 shipping or I could SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO COME PICK UP THE FABRIC for a fee of another $45. She stated that "If I come back to my shop there is a charge unless a customer is fitting a garment." She eventually stated that a "sentence will now be added to the contract for clarification purposes.” That may benefit future customers, but that does not cover my refund. If this is how she handles her business in a consultation, I would never trust her to create a garment for my special event. She kept my $45 and it was a lesson learned for me. Find somebody else with better business practices. All of our conversation was via text...so I have the receipts.

UPDATE:

After posting the review above, I have been bombarded with text after text message from the owner of this company, Yani, harassing me and making disparaging remarks. Trying to bully me to remove my review. She left a bad review on my business page although I do not know this lady, we've never met and she's never utilized my services. She stated that she was going to contact my pastor and members of my congregation. How she would know what church I attend is beyond me. After countless unanswered text messages and calls to my office, she offered to pay me and did pay my $45 to remove my review. She’s written and re-written her response to this review a number of times each with untruths and various derogatory and defaming remarks about me as a person and professional. If this wasn't happening to me, I would...

WARNING: Do Not Use This “Custom Designer” – Total Scam

She deserves 0 ⭐️

My cousin, the bride, started planning her wedding over a year ago. Early on, we had a Zoom meeting with “Yan,” established a group chat, and stayed in constant communication throughout the year. Deposits were paid in 2024, and the final payment was submitted on time in January. We all completed our measurements as requested—multiple times.

Unfortunately, this experience turned into a nightmare. Despite all the communication, what we received was far from what was promised. The dresses were not custom-made as advertised. They were cheap, mass-produced dresses from China, Temu, or SHEIN. When my dress finally arrived (late, by the way), it was dirty, smelled like fish, and was clearly worn and stained. It looked nothing like what I ordered.

When I contacted the “designer,” instead of owning the issue, she suggested one of the other bridesmaids must’ve tried it on—or even accused the bride of wearing it during a visit to Houston. Seriously? On top of that, she claimed the material was 100% satin. The tag clearly said 100% polyester and Made in China.

She eventually agreed to “remake” the dress. When the second one arrived, it was the same exact ugly dress—no changes, no improvements. It looked so bad I felt like I was wearing a costume meant for someone 30 years older. And the nerve—she asked me to mail the original back, probably to resell it to someone else!

Let me be clear: None of the dresses were custom. Her pages show no proof of real design work—just stock photos and other people’s images. And to top it all off, she didn’t even reach out to the bride on her wedding day. Not a message. Not a call. Nothing.

We each paid nearly $400 for a “custom” dress and got cheap, low-quality products instead. I ended up going to David’s Bridal and buying a brand-new, beautiful dress for $109 (photos in comments).

Please, do your research. Don’t fall victim to this scam like we did....

Ms Yani was selected to "customized" dresses for a recent wedding for my friend. when we first met her she brought so much energy and she was so excited to have an opportunity to design the perfect dress selected by each individual. Truth be told I was so excited and encouraged by the fact that she told us she could design and/ or customize any dress to our liking. She shared many samples of formal dresses and excitedly advised that we could swap out a top on one or a bottom or another to get the look we wanted. Being that she was not local we had to send in a first set of measurements and then later she asked for a second set of measurements. We were told that the final fitting needed to be in person so I booked a flight from Tampa Florida to Houston Texas to have a final fitting. As excited as I was to see the final look, I was quite disappointed that the dress design was completely different from what we had discussed it was even the wrong color. I would receive a replacement dress in the mail weeks later that I had to take to a local alteration shop to have the dress altered.. this of course forced me to pay additional money out of pocket not to mention the flight costs/hotel.. going out to Houston. Many times when you would bring things to her attention she delivered a tone that suggested she was irritated and didn't want to be bothered to satisfy the customer. I am sorry that she uses her platform to display beautiful work that unfortunately is not her own. In addition we now know she orders from an online store and then charges hundreds of dollars for dresses that cost less than $100. Her work is not authentic and she is running a business that lacks integrity. her customized work leaves a lot to be desired leaving one to think she has no skill at all to be in this business. In...