The Science Behind the Black and Blue (or White and Gold) Dress How "The Dress" Became an Illusion Unlike Any Other Scientific American Is The Dress blue and black or white and gold? That question is now 10 years old. Here's how it all started and why different people see different things. In 2015, a photograph of a dress went viral, dividing viewers over whether its colors were blue and black or white and gold. This optical illusion highlighted differences in human color