Taylor Swift’s Speak Now album was released in 2010 and marked her third studio album. The album cover features Taylor wearing a sparkling dress while crashing a wedding. The dress color has been debated among fans for years, with theories ranging from white and gold to blue and black. In this article, we’ll analyze the album artwork and explore what color Taylor’s iconic Speak Now dress truly is.
The Original Album Artwork
The official album cover for Speak Now features Taylor standing in a doorway wearing a floor-length gown. The dress appears to be a light sparkling material that fades from a warm tone at the top to a cool tone at the bottom. Taylor’s pose and expression give the impression that she is unexpectedly interrupting or “speaking now” at this wedding.
The original album artwork shows the dress under indoor lighting conditions. This warm lighting likely influences how our eyes perceive the colors. Under these conditions, the dress appears to be a very light gold or champagne color at the top. As it flows downward, it transitions into a steel blue-grey tone toward the bottom.
Theories on the Dress Color
In the years since the album’s release, heated debate has ensued among fans about what color Taylor’s Speak Now dress really is. Here are some of the most common theories:
White and Gold
Many fans insist the dress is white and gold. The warm indoor lighting makes the white fabric take on a pale yellow or gold shine. These fans claim the bottom of the dress fades to a metallic gold hue.
Blue and Black
Other fans argue the dress is actually a deep blue that can look black in some lighting. They say the top appears lighter because of bright warm lighting on a blue dress, not because it is white or gold. The bottom of the dress is a darker blue in shadow.
Blue and Brown
Some claim the dress is a cool-toned blue at the top that gradually deepens to a warm brown tone toward the bottom. The brownish color comes from shadows cast on the bottom portion of the blue dress.
Optical Illusion
Many think the shifting dress color is just an optical illusion caused by lighting, gradients, and contrast. The color may even change depending on the screen you view it on. They think it’s impossible to definitively say what color it is.
Evidence for the Dress Colors
To get to the bottom of this debate, we need to look at all available evidence of Taylor wearing the dress:
Speak Now Album Booklet
The album booklet includes photos of Taylor wearing the dress against different backgrounds without warm lighting. Here, the dress appears to be a light silvery blue on top that gradually deepens to a darker blue at the bottom. This suggests the dress itself is some shade of blue.
Speak Now Tour Performances
During the Speak Now World Tour, Taylor wore the dress for her opening song “Sparks Fly.” Concert footage shows the dress looking sky blue under the stage lighting. The color appears fairly consistent from top to bottom.
Candids From Album Release Party
Taylor wore the Speak Now dress to a 2010 album release party. Paparazzi photos from outside the event show the dress looking like a medium blue under outdoor lighting conditions.
Taylor’s Instagram Post
In July 2020, Taylor posted a throwback Instagram photo of herself wearing the Speak Now dress on a red carpet. Here, the dress appears to be a vivid cobalt blue color, even in direct outdoor lighting.
| Evidence Type | Lighting Condition | Dress Color |
|---|---|---|
| Album booklet | Studio lighting | Light silvery blue fading to dark blue |
| Tour performances | Stage lighting | Consistent medium blue |
| Candids | Outdoor lighting | Medium blue |
| Instagram post | Outdoor lighting | Vibrant cobalt blue |
Conclusion
After reviewing all available evidence of Taylor wearing the iconic Speak Now dress, it seems the dress itself is some shade of blue. The warm indoor lighting on the album cover seems to give parts of the dress a gold or white appearance. But when she wears the dress under natural, cooler lighting conditions, it consistently looks blue.
The blue color even holds true in recent photos years later, confirming the dress’s original color. While the exact shade of blue is debatable, we can say with certainty that Taylor Swift’s Speak Now dress is blue and not white or gold. The varying color perceptions are just an optical illusion caused by lighting conditions.
So in summary, the answer to the debate over the color of Taylor Swift’s Speak Now dress is: blue! The lighting caused a bit of a optical illusion but the dress itself appears to be a light blue fading into a deeper blue tone toward the bottom. Mystery solved!
