How "The Dress" Became an Illusion Unlike Any Other Scientific American Blue Ivy Carter Wears Gold Ball Gown and Minidress at 'Mufasa' Premiere 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 Optical illusion renews blue and black dress debate nine years on Express.co.uk 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 perception