Top variables that correlate with Popularity of the 'the dress black blue white gold' meme 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 Navy Blue Shrug Bloomingdale's The Dress Illusion WHITE & GOLD BLUE & BLACK Navy Blue Shrug Macy's The Dress": Why People See White and Gold or Blue and Black