Is That Dress White and Gold or Blue and Black? The New York Times The actual dress was black and blue. The confusion came from how lighting and color perception tricked people's brains, making some see it as white and gold. It became a viral example The dress was a viral online phenomenon in 2015, centered on a photograph of a dress that people disagreed on whether it was blue and black or white and gold. Within a ELI5:Why does this dress appear white gold to some people and black blue to others? : r explainlikeimfive