The actual image of the dress has officially put an end to the nearly decade-long debate over its colors: “white and gold” or “black and blue.”
Nine years ago, a dress sparked a storm on social media when Cecilia Bleasdale posted a photo of it on her personal blog ahead of her daughter’s wedding.
This dress is produced by the brand Roman Originals (UK) and is black and blue. (Graphic: Nhu Phuong).
The photo, with its hazy blue lighting, created a strange visual effect that led viewers to hotly debate the dress’s actual colors: “white and gold” or “black and blue”?
The debate became so heated that scientists had to step in to explain the cause.
In reality, this dress is black and blue and is produced by the brand Roman Originals (UK).
Recently, this “legendary” dress made a “comeback” when Amanda Rubinstein discovered it at a thrift store in Vermont (USA). She shared this intriguing find on TikTok and immediately attracted the attention of the online community, according to Newsweek.
Rubinstein shared this intriguing find on TikTok and immediately attracted the attention of the online community. (Photo: @ruby_dubie_do).
“I screamed in shock when I saw it,” Amanda Rubinstein said. She decided to purchase the dress for just $5.
“I wasn’t sure it would fit, but I knew the chance to own such an iconic dress was very rare,” Rubinstein shared. It is reported that the seller had kept the dress since 2015 and was aware of its “legendary” value.
Although unsure if the dress she purchased is exactly the one from the 2015 photo, Rubinstein stated that the item belongs to the same collection, so the likelihood of it being the same is very high.
Shortly after, Rubinstein shared her discovery on TikTok, and the video quickly garnered over 4 million views. In the comments, viewers were astonished by this find, and of course, the debate over the dress’s color reignited.
“This is definitely the most legendary find at a thrift store ever,” one viewer commented. Another humorously suggested she should repost the video but change the colors to make the dress appear white and gold.
And the most asked question: What color did Rubinstein see the dress as?
“The dress is 100% blue with a black mesh overlay and lace pattern,” she confirmed.
The actual image of the dress from Roman Originals shows that it is black and blue. (Photo: @ruby_dubie_do).
Despite scientists stepping in and concluding the dress’s true colors back in 2015, for many who have never seen it in person, the debate has continued to smolder for nearly a decade.
According to Professor Cedar Riener, a psychology expert at Randolph-Macon College (USA), each person perceives varying amounts of light, leading to differences in color perception. Those sensitive to blue light will see the dress as black and blue, while those less sensitive may see it as white and gold.
Professor Andrew Stockman from University College London (UK) illustrated this phenomenon with an interesting model. He used a blue background with bars transitioning from yellow to brown. When glancing over, you can easily recognize the color change. However, if you focus on one point for 10 seconds, you will see all surrounding bars change to the same color as that point.
To explain this, Professor Andrew stated that the human visual system tends to “predict” colors. When looking at a colored area for a long time, the brain automatically “assigns” that color to surrounding areas. This is the reason why the photo of the dress with black and blue stripes tricks our vision.
