--- title: The Dress: White and Gold or Black and Blue? description: The Internet took a weird turn Thursday when all of a sudden everyone started buzzing about the color of a dress posted on Tumblr. canonical: https://time.com/3725356/dress-blue-black-white-gold/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-27T02:27:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:02:58.127Z og:title: What Color Is This Dress? og:description: Are you team #whiteandgold or #blackandblue? og:url: https://time.com/3725356/dress-blue-black-white-gold/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt767b94a1b72514bf/69878159cd68484d1e099e98/screen-shot-2015-02-27-at-10-22-49-am1.png?branch=production&width=474&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 474 og:image:height: 267 og:image:alt: Screen Shot 2015-02-27 at 10.22.49 AM og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What Color Is This Dress? twitter:description: Are you team #whiteandgold or #blackandblue? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt767b94a1b72514bf/69878159cd68484d1e099e98/screen-shot-2015-02-27-at-10-22-49-am1.png?branch=production&width=474&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Everyone on the Internet Wants to Know What Color This Dress Is > Sponsored content. 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It covers the reporting, scoops and conversations shaping AI and the decisions facing leaders. #### Where can I get reported AI news rather than commentary? In the Loop is TIME's AI newsletter, built on original reporting and access to the people building and governing AI. It publishes Tuesdays and Fridays and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes TIME's In the Loop? Harry Booth, a tech reporter at TIME, writes In the Loop. #### Is In the Loop free? Yes. In the Loop is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-loop-2026q3/newsletters?i=80e96f58-da02-4c1d-8686-e1e9ecaae486&cr=time-nl-loop-2026q3-v1) ## Video: REAL TIME: The Dress That Broke The Internet [Watch (HLS stream): REAL TIME: The Dress That Broke The Internet](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pHrrVTQq.m3u8) (0:43)  _Published 2015-02-27. Musician Caitlin McNeill posted a a picture of dress to Tumblr and asked what color it was. The internet weighed in._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Feb 27, 2015 2:27 AM UTC Musician Caitlin McNeill posted a a picture of dress to Tumblr and asked what color it was. The internet weighed in. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Feb 27, 2015 2:27 AM UTC The Internet took a weird turn Thursday when all of a sudden everyone started buzzing about the color of a dress. A woman had taken to Tumblr the day before to ask a seemingly normal question: [what color is this dress](http://swiked.tumblr.com/post/112073818575/guys-please-help-me-is-this-dress-white-and)? > [](https://twitter.com/RoFloESPN/status/571130225884409856) But there was something off about the dress and the image. The woman says when she saw a photo of the dress once, it was blue and black (she even posted a photo of the dress being worn at a [wedding](http://swiked.tumblr.com/post/112164479015/can-we-have-more-pictures-of-the-dress-please-we). In that image, it appears to be blue and black) but when she looked at it again, the dress was gold and white. This is about the point where the Internet broke. ### 6 Dresses That Are Way More Famous Than #TheDress  Portrait of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and Princess Grace (Grace Kelly) on their wedding day on April 19, 1956 in Monaco. Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images  First Lady Jackie Kennedy wearing a fitted silk apricot dress and triple strand of pearls, walking through crowds at Udaipur during visit to India, 1962. Art Rickerby—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe poses over the updraft of a New York subway grating while in character for the filming of 'The Seven Year Itch' in Manhattan on Sept. 15, 1954. Matty Zimmerman—AP  This is a photo from page 2991 of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's report showing Monica Lewinsky's dress which was tested for physical evidence of a relationship between President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. OIC/AP  Jennifer Lopez wears Versace at the 42nd Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on Feb. 23, 2000. Scott Gries—Getty Images  President Barack Obama introduced his wife Michelle at the Commander-In-Chief Ball after his inauguration held at the National Building Museum in Washington on Jan. 20, 2009. David Stephenson—Lexington Herald-Leader/MCT/Getty Images Her Tumblr got flooded with comments. “i’ve gained over a thousand followers so all I’m going to say is hello,” the user known as swiked posted Thursday. Twitter erupted. [Gawker ](http://gawker.com/what-color-is-this-goddamn-dress-1688330170)posted it. [BuzzFeed ](http://www.buzzfeed.com/catesish/help-am-i-going-insane-its-definitely-blue#.xyPPVW6by)did, too. BuzzFeed even [seems to have solved the mystery](http://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/this-might-explain-why-that-dress-looks-blue-and-black-and-w?bftw&utm%5Fterm=4ldqpfp#.cmmkqOg49). But that still doesn’t quite explain why the image appears white and gold to some and blue and black to others. Probably eye, light, mind tricks, but hopefully scientists of the world are hard at work trying to figure this out. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll get some _great_ think pieces out of it, too. TGIF, amirite? _Read next:_ [_Here Is the Proof That #TheDress is Black and Blue_](http://time.com/3725758/proof-dress-black-and-blue/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ### See Michelle Obama's Best Outfits of 2014  After being criticized for wearing a sparkly sleeveless dress to the 2013 State of the Union, Obama went with a more conservative ensemble by Azzedine Alaia for the 2014 State of the Union Address. Drew Angerer—EPA  Never one to shy away from color, Obama donned a bold red coat for a visit from French President Francois Hollande in February. Pete Marovich—Bloomberg/Getty Images  Obama won plaudits for this powder blue and black lace gown by Carolina Herrera, which she wore to a state dinner with Hollande in February. Evan Vucci—AP  During a visit to Beijing in March to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Obama wore a custom dress by Naeem Khan which updated the traditional Chinese red dress — and her daughters didn't look too bad either. Andy Wong—Pool/AFP/Getty Images  The first lady doesn't just own formal wear. For this visit to a Beijing school that prepares children to study abroad, she dressed casually, but with flair. Andy Wong—Pool/Getty Images  For this February appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon, Obama went with a sleeveless jumpsuit, showing off her toned arms. NBC/Getty Images  The White House Correspondents' Dinner is often jokingly called Nerd Prom, but Obama's choice of a grey tulle embroidered dress from Marchesa was neither nerdy nor prom-like. Olivier Douliery—Pool/Getty Images  The devil may wear Prada, but Obama went for another Naeem Khan when she met fashionista Anna Wintour at a ribbon-cutting in May. Paul Zimmerman—WireImage/Getty Images  Returning from the dedication of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Obama aimed for a subdued but still classy look. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images  The president may have gone for jeans, but Michelle Obama was ready for summer, wearing a crisp white summer dress to the White House Fourth of July celebration. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images  For a luncheon at The Grammy Museum in July, Obama once again went sleeveless in a white dress from Phillip Lim. Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty Images  During a visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Obama wore a colorful wrap from Diane von Furstenberg. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images  At an awards dinner held by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Obama chose a dress from Bibhu Mohapatra's fall collection. Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty Images  No ugly Christmas sweaters in sight as Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha and the family dogs greet the White House Christmas tree. Joshua Roberts—Bloomberg/Getty Images  Ending the year in style, and mirroring the White House Christmas decorations, Obama wore this dress by Monique Lhuiller to the Kennedy Center honors in December. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3725356/dress-blue-black-white-gold/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3725356/dress-blue-black-white-gold/"},"headline":"Everyone on the Internet Wants to Know What Color This Dress Is","datePublished":"2015-02-27T02:27:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T09:02:58.127Z","description":"Is it black and blue or is it gold and white?","url":"https://time.com/3725356/dress-blue-black-white-gold/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","Bizarre","Dress"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt767b94a1b72514bf/69878159cd68484d1e099e98/screen-shot-2015-02-27-at-10-22-49-am1.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt767b94a1b72514bf/69878159cd68484d1e099e98/screen-shot-2015-02-27-at-10-22-49-am1.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Screen Shot 2015-02-27 at 10.22.49 AM","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3725356/dress-blue-black-white-gold/","name":"Everyone on the Internet Wants to Know What Color This Dress Is"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"REAL TIME: The Dress That Broke The Internet","description":"Musician Caitlin McNeill posted a a picture of dress to Tumblr and asked what color it was. 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