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Forget "The" Dress: These 6 Designs Actually Change Color

Blue and black? White and gold? Whatever.
"The" Dress, white balanced for blue, white, and yellow respectively. Composite by Beckett Mufsonvia

Is it black? blue? white? gold? Even with numerous experts weighing in, it's still a debate-provoking illusion 28+ million views later. But it's just that—an illusion. Below we take a look back at six that actually do change colors with the help of photoluminescence, heat sensitivity, LEDs, and more.

1. (No)where and (Now)here by Ying Gao

Ying Gao's dresses, (No)where and (Now)here are made from photoluminescent thread and eye-tracking technology, reacting to the gaze of the audience in real time.

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2. air by THE UNSEEN

THE UNSEEN's air collection reacts to the temperature of the air it comes in contact with.

3. Katy Perry’s MET Ball Dress by CuteCircuit

A combination of silk chiffon and over 3,000 color-changing LEDs turned Katy Perry into a chameleon back in 2011.

4. Fluid Dress by Charlie Bucket

GIFv by Emerson Rosenthal, via

Not only does Charlie Bucket's Fluid Dress change due to the shifting liquid flowing through its tubes, but a blacklight turns the wearer into a walking glowstick in the blink of an eye.

5. Sun-Reactive Dress by Amy "Rainbow" Winters

Image via

One color in the sun, another in the shade, Amy "Rainbow" Winters' enhances her geometric prints, dresses, and swimsuits with sun-reactive fabrics.

6. Intimacy by Anouk Wipprecht and Studio Roosegaarde

Depending on the wearer's emotional state, this collaboration between Dutch designers Studio Roosegaarde and Anouk Wipprecht shifts between opacity and transparency, truly earning the name, Intimacy.

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