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 science behind 'the dress' The dress' went viral 10 years ago and taught us the science of color Is the dress blue or gold? The phenomenon originated in a photograph of a dress posted on Facebook in 2015. The dress was black and blue, but the conditions of the photograph Is That Dress White and Gold or Blue and Black? The New York Times Science explains how time spent outdoors colors your view of #thedress Los Angeles Times