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 Zendaya's Sheer Midnight Blue Gown Has Strategically Placed String How "The Dress" Became an Illusion Unlike Any Other Scientific American Black and Blue Dress Original Photo TikTok Viral optical illusion reignites blue and black or white and gold dress debate The Mirror US The Dress": Why People See White and Gold or Blue and Black