No-sew Tutorial: How to DIY the Viral AI TikTok Dress

Tools and materials:

• 2 yards viscose/rayon knit fabric with 5 - 10% Spandex
• Belt (optional)
• Measuring tape
• Ruler
• Cutting mat (optional)
• Scissors or rotary blade

1. Take your measurements

The dress has three separate cuts - across the neckline and over each shoulder. They look as if they’re connected, but they’re not.

Decide the width of the neckline you want for the first cut. I wanted a wide neckline that I could wear off one shoulder or drape slightly in the front. 

I measured across my shoulders between the top of each shoulder bone.

The side cuts will determine the depth of the armholes. I wanted mine to be quite low, so I measured from just above my waist to the point of my shoulder, and doubled it.

My final measurements were a neckline of 12 inches and side cuts of 24 inches (12 inches on either side of the shoulder).

I allowed a 2 inch gap between the neck and side cuts, to make the shoulder straps.

The width of the neckline plus the two shoulder straps is the total width of the front of your dress. If you cut a narrower neckline than mine, you will need to make the shoulder straps wider to compensate.

2. Cut the fabric

Fold your fabric in half in both directions and mark the center point with a pin.

Decide if you want your dress cut along the grain of the fabric, as in the original video, or on the bias.

I cut mine diagonally because I wanted the points of the fabric to be at the center front and back of the dress.

Open out the fabric. Place your ruler on the fabric in the direction you want to cut the neckline and measure 6 inches either side of the center pin (for a 12 inch wide neckline).

Cut the slit with a rotary cutter or very sharp scissors.

Leave 2 inches uncut on either side of the neckline. 

Cut the side slits at right angles to the neck. In my case, these measured 12 inches on each side of the neck cut.

That’s the dress completed!

3. Wear the dress

Drop the fabric over your head and let it drape over your body.

I was stunned at the result, before I even styled it up!

The side cuts are very deep and you may prefer to make yours smaller, at least at first.

However, I really like them this length because they give me lots of styling flexibility.

4. Style the dress

Overlapping the sides and adding a belt creates such a great draping at the bottom of the dress.

It kind of reminds me of a Vivianne Westwood style, with the handkerchief skirt.

Wear the belt first, as normal. Then tuck the front section under the belt towards the back, and overlap the back part over the front. This also creates pretty draping at the sides.

You could also close the sides with a few stitches at waist level.

The benefit of not doing that is having the extra side pieces that you can wrap around you and tie in different ways. 

The wide neckline means you can pull it down over your shoulders for a boat neck or off one shoulder.

Black TikTok dress

I’m really delighted with the way my black TikTok dress turned out, so much better with this fabric than the heavier weight ones I tried first.

You could wear a bandeau bra or even a tank top in a matching shade if you don’t like the deep armholes.

I also think that cutting it on the bias gives you more ways to wear it, because the bottom edge will always be asymmetric, however you wrap the fabric.

I would love to know if you make this!

Next, learn How to DIY a Sexy Denim Tank.