#thedress: debate between Scots friends about frock's colour becomes internet phenomenon

The picture was captioned: "guys please help me - is this dress white and gold, or blue and black? Me and my friends can't agree and we are freaking the f*** out."

The photo quickly began spread across social media and was picked up by websites including Buzzfeed, who tweeted American talk show icon Oprah for her help. It has also been discussed by Fearne Cotton on Radio 1 and turned into a meme starring Grumpy Cat.

US magazine Wired has even tried to explain the science behind the dress, stating that the reason people see the colours differently is down to primal biology and evolution.

Ms McNeill said that she posted the picture on a photo-sharing site after her friend's mother wore the dress at a wedding.

The aspiring musician said: "Two of my very good friends were getting married and they asked me to put together a band to come and play at the wedding. This was a wedding on the tiny island that we come from on the west coast of Scotland called Colonsay and about 100 people were there.

"A week beforehand the bride had been sent by her mother a picture of the dress she was going to wear and when the bride showed her fiance, they disagreed about what colour it was.

"She was like, 'It's white and gold' and he said, 'It's blue and black'.

"So they posted it on Facebook to try and see what their friends were saying but that caused carnage on Facebook."

The hashtag #thedress is currently trending on Twitter with celebrities including Taylor Swift, Kayne West and Kim Kardashian West all becoming involved in the debate.

Swift tweeted: "I don't understand this odd dress debate and I feel like it's a trick somehow. I'm confused and scared. PS it's OBVIOUSLY BLUE AND BLACK."

Kardashian West said: "What color is that dress? I see white & gold. Kanye sees black & blue, who is color blind?"

Singer Demi Lovato tweeted: "Hold on.... So people actually see white and gold....??!!"

Ellen DeGeneres said: "From this day on, the world will be divided into two people. Blue & black, or white & gold."

Jimmy Fallon tweeted: "It's clearly #goldandwhite #TheDress."

Justin Bieber said: "And for everyone asking I see blue and black."

Julianne Moore tweeted: "what's the matter with u guys, it's white and gold."

Ariana Grande said: "if one more person asks me what color i think this damn dress is. I see grey and blue and ugly."

A spokesman for Roman Originals, which is based in Erdington, Birmingham, said it had put all available stock of the dress in to its on-line store and its network of shops.

The in-demand outfit briefly sold out and talks are under way to assess whether its production levels will be upped.

The spokesman said the dress was also available in three other colours, including a red and black version.

"It's black and blue but we're definitely looking into a white and gold version," the spokesman added.

One possible explanation being reported as to why people are seeing different colours may be down to an optical illusion, stemming from how the human brain processes colours.

The brain's perception can be thrown by the colours of nearby objects, and their reflected light falling on the object in focus - in this case the dress.

However, whatever the science behind the colour mismatch, the social media debate shows no sign of abating.

Professor Stephen Westland, chair of colour science and technology at the University of Leeds, said the way people see colours varies hugely.

He said: "One in 12 men is colour blind. But what people don't know is that even if the rest of us are not colour blind we don't always see colour in the same way.

"The surprising thing is that this doesn't happen more often.

"People think if they take a photo of something, people will see the same thing but of course that is not true."

Prof Westland said that the "strange" lighting in the picture had probably contributed to the confusion.

He said: "If it hadn't been taken under very strange lighting this probably wouldn't have happened because if you look at the manufacturer's picture, it is indisputably blue and black.

"It's quite confusing because I'm not always clear whether people are even looking at the same picture half the time as there are now different versions on the internet.

"But that isn't the answer because people are often looking at the same screen and seeing different colours."

Prof Westland explained that the confusion could stem from how we name colours, as there are often blurred lines between how we interpret what colour something is.

But, he said, this is an extreme case as "there is a huge difference between black and gold, blue and white".

He said: "It is possible that people could literally be seeing different colours but it's impossible to know what is in someone's head."

Roman Originals' design director Michele Bastock described the quirk as a "complete surprise" which had left staff bemused.

She said: "It's a big enigma for us here, even at head office. I have no explanation I'm afraid. I have seen it (the dress) white and I have seen it blue.

"We haven't used any special dyes, we haven't used any special tricks to coat the garment with - it's just simple fabric and simple manufacturing."

While baffled at what causes the garment to trick some observers' eyes, Ms Bastock was certain that it would be good for business.

"There are zero tricks," she said. "If I knew how to do it, believe me I would do it again."

Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, clinical adviser for the College of Optometrists, said: "There are many explanations as to why people see different colours in the image of this dress.

"But the takeaway point is that there is no right or wrong answer - we just all see and interpret things differently.

"Seeing the image differently is not related to a colour vision problem or defect in your eyes. It's simply a perceptual illusion."