This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A dress in the United Kingdom is drawing more attention than almost any from a red carpet.

The debate surrounds the garment's hue: Is it blue and black or gold and white? One photo of the knee-length blue dress with black lace, optometry experts say, shows the different ways we perceive color, based on our prior experiences and a host of other factors that could include genetics and gender.

There's no right answer, says Bryan Jones, a researcher at the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center, who sees the frock as blue and black. "This is one of those kinds of funky gray areas in terms of perception."

People's brains interpret colors differently based on their history of seeing, Jones says. Color calibration of digital screens also could play a part.

Women, Jones says, are more likely to have a backup color receptor, which could cast the material in darker tones.

Jones has briefed NPR's "Science Friday," among other news outlets, on the science behind the discrepancy.

The photo was taken earlier this month before a wedding on the remote Scottish island of Colonsay, where it was worn by the mother of the bride, The Associated Press reported. It stumped guests and, later, Facebook users as to why one photo of the dress being worn showed it to be blue and black. Another photo of the dress on a hanger appeared to transform it into gold and white — but only for about half the viewers.

A wedding guest posted the photo to her Tumblr account with the question: "Guys, please help me. Is this dress white and gold or blue and black?" She and her friends could not agree on the garment's hue.

BuzzFeed soon brought the debate to its readers. Kim Kardashian later joined in on Twitter, saying she saw gold, whereas her husband, Kanye West, claimed blue and black.

"Who is colorblind?" Kardashian asked followers.

Optometrists say the pattern, combined with yellow back lighting, requires the brain to pick a lane. Some seeking details in the black lace interpret them as gold, so the blue fades into bright white, experts say. Others, honing in on the blue part of the dress, see the darker colors.

The discrepancy is a reminder, Jones says, that "what we perceive as reality is constantly synthesized. Our moment-to-moment reality, you can almost think of it as an illusion."

The U. researcher studies the retina and says he's "a little shocked" by the social media storm surrounding the dress.

The English retailer of the dress is grateful for the attention it's drawn. Roman Originals reported a million hits on its sales pages in the first 18 hours after the photo hit screens worldwide.

Michele Bastock, design director at Roman Originals, said employees had no idea that the dress could appear to shift colors in different lighting. Staff members split almost 50-50 on the photo's true colors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.