When it comes to fashion, we’re total suckers for a good party dress. Whether we’re buying it or making it ourselves one from scratch, they’re undoubtedly our favorite kind of garment, even if we don’t have somewhere fancy to go. If we’re being honest, though, we get a lot more satisfaction out of making beautiful party dresses ourselves, which is why we always have our eyes peeled for great designs and patterns!
Just in case you love the idea of making your very own party dresses just as much as we do, if not more, here are 15 of the cutest and most fun ideas we’ve come across so far in our search for inspiration.
1. DIY lace shift dress
Are you the kind of person who likes to have fanciness and class but also enjoys when your outfit has a bit of an edge to it as well? In that case, we have a feeling you’ll really appreciate the way A Pair and A Spare DIY made this lovely lace shift dress that’s smart casual but has a peekaboo quality perfect for wearing a nice bandeau underneath. If you’d prefer to keep it a little more conservative in style, put a dark camisole underneath and voila!
2. Ruffled bottom party dress sewing pattern
Have you actually been learning to sew for a little while and now you’re interested in branching out in terms of what kinds of unique fabrics you’ve learning how to use? In that case, we think you might appreciate the way this dress pattern from Lula Louise not only features an awesome ruffle around the bottom but is also made with neatly textured crinkle taffeta!
3. DIY long silk wrap dress
When you picture your ideal party dress, does it actually look a little more like a casual gown or something beautiful and Greek inspired? Then we think you might get along a little better with this lovely tutorial from Tijana Arsenijevic that teaches you how to make a shining silk wrap dress that ties in the back and crosses across your shoulders in a pretty way.
4. Party casual cross back dress
Have we really caught your attention with the idea of a party dress that crosses at the back because you find that style quite flattering on your build but you can’t help thinking you wouldn’t wear a dress as fancy as the one we showed you above? Then we’d definitely suggest taking a look at the way Sew DIY made this lovely, more casual party dress with that same strap pattern you loved so much.
5. Homemade wrap dress with knotted belt
If you ask us, wrap dresses look flattering on just about anyone, no matter their build. That’s why we’ve collected so many patterns for various versions of them over the years! Just in case you love a good wrap dress too, here’s a beautiful pattern from Simply Sewing Mag that’s actually one of our favourites because it has features a knotted belt at the waist too.
6. Taylor Swift inspired black lace dress
The beautiful thing about having DIY skills that let you make your own clothes is that if you see a design you like elsewhere but you don’t have access to the real thing or its out of your budget, you can just make your own version inspired by that piece! That’s exactly what Create, Enjoy did when they saw Taylor Swift’s dress from her music video for the song “Blank Space”.
7. Off the shoulder frill dress
Did we almost catch your attention when we started talking about the dress with the ruffle along the bottom because you love a good frill but you’d actually prefer to put it somewhere else because you don’t want your dress to look too bottom heavy? In that case, we think you might get along a little better with this tutorial from A Pair and A Spare DIY that features a frill all around the top of a one-shouldered dress of your own making.
8. “Infinity dress” with built-in tube top
If you’ve never heard of or tried on an infinity dress before then we’re sorry to tell you that you’ve been missing out on some fun! To make up for that, why not try your hand at making one of your very own? The DIY Mommy guides you step by step through the process of making an infinity dress that has a built-in shelf bra and can be worn in a multitude of different fun ways.
9. DIY dress extension for a dress that’s too short
Perhaps you actually already have a party dress that you used to love to wear but now you’re convinced that you’d like its fit better if it was longer because you don’t find mini dresses your favourite style anymore? In that case, we’d absolutely suggest taking a look at how Fafafoom added an extension to the skirt of their favourite mini dress to turn it into a maxi instead.
10. Paillette collar dress
Are you quite intrigued in the idea of embellishing an already existing dress so that it looks a bit more snazzy and ready for a party night but you just haven’t seen anything quite as flashy as you had in mind? Then we’d absolutely suggest taking a look at the way A Pair and A Spare DIY added a bit of glitz and glam to the collar of their dress using paillette sequins stitched on in layers.
11. DIY Baroque inspired dress
Sequins aren’t the only things you can use to add a bit of style and glamour to your favourite otherwise plain party dress. Just in case modern types of flash aren’t really your thing, here’s a more Baroque inspired style featured on Style Slicker, who shows you how to give things a slightly more vintage feel by adding pieces of buttons and jewelry to the pockets.
12. Cage top party dress
Are you actually feeling quite intent on making yourself an entire dress from scratch but you really want to make sure that it’s on trend and looks just like something you might have bought from a store? In that case, we think perhaps this tutorial from Paixao Fortes might be just the one for you! They teach you how to make an A-line bottomed black mini dress with an awesome caged style top.
13. Wrap and sequin applique mini dress
Did we almost catch and hold your attention when we started talking about the idea of making a wrap dress but you were actually hoping for a style that’s a little more glamorous and party-like rather than being just smart casual? Then we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how A Pair and A Spare DIY made this one-shouldered dress that wraps at the bust and features some wonderfully sparkly beaded appliques for a little bit of extra character.
14. DIY chiffon dress with delicate cross straps
By now, you can probably tell that we really love the look of straps that cross in the back. Just in case you’re looking for a style that’s a little more delicate and whimsical, however, here’s yet another alternative tutorial for your consideration. Check out how Huffington Post made a lightweight party dress from pretty chiffon and gave it smaller straps but still crossed them at the back for the look we love.
15. Men’s shirts into pretty dresses
If you’re going to put in the time and effort it takes to make yourself a DIY dress, would you rather make it completely from scratch or use it as an opportunity for some neat upcycling? Then Coolirpa might just have the perfect tutorial for you! Check out their video to learn how they turned oversized men’s dress shirts into several different styles of cute, summery party dress.
