Shocked Woman Finds ‘Most Legendary’ Piece in Internet History at Yard Sale

Yard sales are often full of unexpected treasures, but one woman found something truly nostalgic during a recent sale: the most talked about item of clothing on the Internet: THE dress.

Amanda Rubinstein of Burlington, Vermont, was looking for items when she stumbled upon the dress that sparked a heated online debate in 2015. Known for her viral optical illusion that divided the world over whether it was blue and black or white and gold, the dress became an internet legend.

“The dress was one of the first items I saw when I went to the yard sale. I immediately screamed, ‘Oh my God, you have THE DRESS!’ I was in complete shock,” Rubinstein said Newsweek. “The owners and other neighbors had a good laugh at my expressive reaction to seeing him.”

Rubinstein’s discovery comes nearly a decade after the suit made waves online. The controversy began when a photograph taken by Cecilia Bleasdale for her daughter Grace’s wedding went viral. The dress was confirmed to be blue with black lace, but millions saw it as white and gold. The image became a global sensation, with social media platforms lit up with debate and even spurring scientific research into human color perception.

When she stumbled upon the dress, Rubinstein knew she couldn’t leave it there and bought it.

“I wasn’t sure if it would fit, but I knew that the opportunity to own one of the most iconic outfits of the Internet age doesn’t come around often,” she said.

She quickly learned from the seller that the dress had been in her closet since 2015.

“She knew it was a gem,” Rubinstein said, “but it had been sitting there for nine years, so she felt it deserved better.”

While Rubinstein isn’t sure if the dress she bought is the exact one in the viral photo from 2015, she did some research and found it was from the same collection, which seemed like a likely match.

“I can confirm that it is from the same designer and collection, which leads me to believe that it is genuine,” he said.

Rubinstein shared it find TikTok in a video viewed 3.8 million times. In the comments, people were shocked by the discovery, which of course quickly reignited the conversation about the color of the dress.

“This is the most legendary yard sale find ever,” said onlooker Atlas. Another commenter joked: “You should upload this exact video, but everything changes tone to make the dress look white and gold.”

And, of course, the burning question: What color does Rubinstein see?

“The dress is 100 percent blue bandage with black mesh and lace details,” she said.