Fancy Stories

In a world where fast fashion dominates with speed and volume, we choose something slower, more thoughtful — and infinitely more meaningful. At Fancy Pastels, we proudly follow a made-to-order clothing model. But what does that really mean? Simply put, your dress isn't made until you place an order. No mass production, no overflowing landfills, and no overstock wastage. Just handcrafted clothing made with love, for you. The Hidden Cost of Fast Fashion You may not see it when you scroll through new arrivals, but the fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to pollution. Here’s how: Water Waste: One cotton shirt can take over 700 gallons of water to make. A single pair of jeans? Up to 2,000 gallons. Plus, textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally. Microplastics: Synthetic materials like polyester and nylon shed microplastics every time you wash them. These tiny plastic pieces end up in our oceans — forever. Energy Emissions: The process of turning fossil fuels into synthetic fibers releases harmful gases and toxins. Even cotton, often seen as eco-friendly, uses pesticides that are dangerous for both farmers and the planet. Why We Chose Slow Fashion Our answer to this crisis? Slow fashion. Our garments are made one by one, only after you order. This ensures minimal waste and a low environmental footprint. Here’s how made-to-order clothing helps: Reduces overproduction and unsold stock. Saves water, fabric, and resources. Supports mindful consumption and longer-lasting clothing. Allows us to use ethical, eco-conscious materials and techniques. Each piece you wear from Fancy Pastels — whether it’s our breezy co ord sets for women, flowy summer dresses, or comfortable travel outfits — is artisan-made clothing with a purpose. What You’re Really Wearing You're not just wearing a dress. You're wearing: A block-printed memory. A conscious decision. A softer future. We see our clothes as part of your holiday capsule wardrobe — timeless pieces that travel with you. Whether you’re heading on a road trip or a long beach break, our vacation wear is designed to feel light, breathable, and beautiful. Every travel dress is stitched with intention. Every order is a quiet rebellion against waste. How You Can Help As consumers, your power matters. Here's how to support this journey toward a healthier planet: Choose slow fashion and brands that offer handcrafted clothing and made-to-order clothing. Embrace minimalism with a holiday capsule wardrobe and re-wear your favorite summer vacation wear. Reduce plastic usage, recycle, compost, and shop mindfully. Support artisans and local businesses. Talk about climate change, sustainability, and ethical fashion — every voice counts. At Fancy Pastels, we are deeply grateful for the love you’ve shown to our small, independent brand. You help keep craftsmanship alive. You remind the world that fashion doesn’t have to cost the Earth. Because fashion can be slower — and still make hearts race. 🌿  

At Fancy Pastels, our story isn’t complete without you. You are the heart behind every stitch, the glow behind every summer dress, and the soul of everything we create. This space, Meet the Fancy Faces, celebrates every woman who’s chosen to wear our designs and carry our story forward. From flowy midi dresses that make beach days sweeter to flattering plus-size clothing that celebrates every curve, sunshine-ready co-ord sets for women, and dreamy holiday dresses, we’ve seen our pieces embraced by women of all shapes, sizes, and stories. Whether you're styling a cute summer dress for brunch, packing a travel dress for your next adventure, or building your own holiday capsule wardrobe for a dreamy escape in India, your smiles and words have meant the world. These customer reviews are more than just feedback — they’re reminders of why we started. Every message, tag, and shared photo is proof that slow, thoughtful fashion can feel personal and powerful. So here’s to you, the Fancy Faces lighting up the world, one outfit at a time. We’re so grateful you chose to be part of our journey. Let’s keep glowing together.

We know — it’s a bold statement. But we mean it. In a world dominated by 2-day deliveries and mass production, we choose to slow down. As a small, made-to-order clothing brand, we believe that fashion should be thoughtful, not rushed. That every piece should hold a story — not just a price tag. Over the past year, we’ve seen the rise of fast fashion and with it, the sharp increase in textile waste, pollution, and disregard for the planet. And while we know we’re just one brand, what truly makes a difference is you — the consumer, the conscious buyer, the change-maker. So today, let’s talk about what makes us different — and why we may not be for everyone. At Fancy Pastels, everything you see is made to order, which means your vacation wear doesn’t exist until you choose it. The process begins when you place an order. Only then do we source the raw cotton or muslin silk fabric, begin hand-block printing, allow the colors to set and dry, and finally cut, sew, and finish the garment before shipping it out. This process takes about 15–20 days. Why? Because we don't mass-produce. We don’t believe in waste. We believe in craftsmanship. Each of our pieces, made from flowy cotton summer dresses, co-ord sets for women, and dreamy midi dresses, handmade by skilled artisans who take pride in their work. It’s slow fashion at its finest. No factory rush. No seasonal dumping. Just thoughtfully handcrafted clothing that feels as good to wear as it does to create. Whether you're curating a holiday capsule wardrobe, packing for your next trip, or looking for a timeless travel dress, we’re here to offer something real: vacation wear that celebrates stories, skills, and sustainability. If you’re someone who needs their clothes yesterday, we may not be the right fit. But if you believe that fashion should be purposeful, that each thread should carry the warmth of human hands and a little bit of heart, then welcome to our world. We may be small, but we care deeply. About the planet, about people, and about the power of thoughtful fashion. So, if this resonated with you, don’t stop here. Explore our collection of breathable cotton summer dresses, holiday dresses, and breezy co-ord sets. Whether you’re dressing for a beach escape or a café stroll, we’ve got a travel dress for every kind of adventure. Choose handcrafted clothing that feels like sunshine, stitched with soul. Choose Fancy Pastels.

So, after a lot of time and thinking (1.5 years to be precise) , here we are with our first Blog Post or "Fancy Stories" what we refer it to as, and what could have been a better topic than writing up a Rundown on Hand Block Printing.  To all of you who know about us, knows how much we admire Hand block printing and to those of you who are new on our website, well, we admire Hand block printing a little TOO much.  WHY? Let's get to it.  Starting with the basics. What is Hand block printing? It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like, but let’s break it down. Hand block printing is an age old art practised in India, printed by the artisanal hands using hand carved wooden blocks on various home grown fabrics like varieties of cotton and silk. (Not as easy as writing it down, so we'll break it down later) A little history, how old is this art? Astounding to discover that hand block printing has been around Rajasthan for nearly 400 years now (Yep, it's the art form that's been here and is still practised from 4 centuries). The gift of hand block printing was given to Jaipur by the Chhipa community that was known to live in Bagru village. Their technique was then adopted wholeheartedly in Sanganer (south of Jaipur) as well and in parts of Jodhpur.  Done with the basics and history here, let's break down the actual process.  Its a 4 level process that goes into printing the fabric.  Designing Carving Colour Making Finally, printing the fabric.  Designing: The first and the main task is the designing of the print, major sanganeri prints that you'll find are most often a traditional Indian motif, which is typically influenced by the nature, beliefs, and customs of the region. These motifs regularly take the form of geometric patterns, animals, or plants. The pattern is designed and created to fit in wooden blocks in a way that it can be continously printed in the entire fabric. The prints, usually have 3-6 colours which makes them attractive, the more attractive, more intricate the design is, the more the number of colours involved, the more wooden blocks.  Carving: These designs are then traced on to the wooden blokcs, generally made of teak by the master craftsman and are then carved by the artisans using hands. The designs are generally carved onto blocks that range from 6x8 inches to 10x12 inches. These blocks are then soaked into oil for atleast a day or two to make them last longer (some of them lasts a decade).  It's a long process, every motif, every detail is carved by hands. don't believe us? Watch the video below Colour Making: Another creative process, finalising the shades and then mixing the colours using dyes and creating various shades is a beautiful and alluring process. It's the art of  mixing colour binder, dye, fixer and water which creates the beautiful shades that we see on the prints.  These colours are then transferred into the trays, with various levels of layers as per the intensity of the colour is required on to printing.  Printing of the Fabric: Printing of the fabrics is done on the tables ranging from 5 mtrs to 10 mtrs long with 4 layers of fabric below the actual printing fabric which soaks the extra colour.  Fabric is laid flat on the table, and the printing starts by dipping the wooden blocks in the colour trays.  As we stated earlier, generally every print contains 3-6 colours, see our reference image of our Talia print which is printed in 4 colour layer by layer. 1. Blue: the blue colour is printed as the base or in local language "Gadh" 2. Yellow: depending upon the visiblity and layering of colours, yellow colour is printed as its the second base colour.  3. Grey 4. Pink: completing the print.  This printed fabric is than dried in sun, which helps in fixing the colour on to the fabric. This fabric is then washed to check colour bleeding and removing extra colour from the fabric and then it goes for curing, in general term getting the fabric ironed and making the print fixed on the fabric.  So, here it is, the process of hand block printing which excites us creatively. Hope you enjoyed reading it.