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 Here's why people saw the dress differently. I See White and Gold, but the Dress Taught Me How We Shape Our Own Reality by Shaant A Culturated Medium So I searched up the black and blue dress : r opticalillusions Eleven years ago, a single photo posted on Tumblr sparked one of the biggest internet debates of all time. The dress instantly divided the world, some swore it was white and gold, A decade ago, The Dress united and divided us. It couldn't happen now. Poynter