Gretchen Rossi may have donned her signature blonde locks when she made her recent return as a friend on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 16, but she was once rocking a much different hue.
Gretchen proved she’s not afraid to play with a bolder look in a series of fun throwback photos, which saw the mom of one trying out a short, purple wig. Gretchen — who looked almost unrecognizable in the photos — first broke out the bright lavender wig, styled in a bob with heavy side-swept bangs, in 2016 while paying homage to one of the music industry’s greats: the late Prince.
“Everyone knows I love a good theme party!” she captioned a photo of herself on Instagram wearing the wig and a form-fitting black and white dress. Gretchen finished off the playful look with a pair of nude pumps. “Saturday night fun in Rancho Santa Fe for a Purple Rain/Prince Tribute Party!”
See Gretchen Rossi's purple hair for a special occasion with her family
The entrepreneur was showing off some purple hair again in 2019, but this time she was leaning into a more whimsical look as she enjoyed her first Halloween with daughter, Skylar Gray Smiley.
Gretchen, her longtime fiancé, Slade Smiley, and the couple’s daughter each offered up their own take on a unicorn in the adorable series of photos, which showed the trio happily posing together on a fall-themed porch.
While Slade went with a more traditional unicorn look, wearing a large unicorn headpiece, Gretchen chose a more subtle white dress, purple wig, and unicorn headband. It was Skylar (a baby at the time), however, who stole the show wearing a grey crocheted diaper covering and unicorn headband, complete with a long, flowy mane made of pastel shades of tulle.
“Happy Halloween everyone! From our little Unicorn family to yours,” Gretchen captioned the sweet photos at the time. “It’s Sky’s first Halloween and we had so much fun playing dress up with her...although we had another costume for her, it only lasted for .2 seconds before she started screaming, so we ended up improvising and put on a unicorn headpiece and a diaper cover…Learning this is life with a baby!”
Although the family may have looked picture perfect for the Halloween photo shoot, Gretchen joked that it only lasted about “60 seconds” before Skylar was “over” it.
Inside Gretchen Rossi & Slade Smiley's family life
More than five years later, the family is still adorably coordinating their holiday looks, most recently while celebrating the Fourth of July earlier this summer. Gretchen — who this time was embracing the blonde locks she’s more known for — Slade and Skylar all posed together in a series of images on Instagram wearing coordinated red, white, and blue attire while celebrating the holiday at Bass Lake.
“Had such a special 4th of July with the whole family at the lake!” Gretchen wrote alongside the images. “Nothing like barbecuing hot dogs and hamburgers, playing fun games on the lawn, having a margarita & laughing with the fam!”
Gretchen Rossi reveals an update on her engagement to Slade Smiley
After leaving RHOC at the conclusion of Season 8, Gretchen returned to the franchise earlier this summer in Season 19 as a friend. Although a lot has changed for Gretchen since she last appeared on camera in the series —including becoming a mom — the one thing she still hasn’t done is walk down the aisle with Slade.
"Slade and I never got married, but we are more in love than we were 16 years ago," she told producers, comparing herself to the famously unmarried couple Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.
Fans got to see Gretchen’s return to the franchise in Season 19, Episode 2. “Ta-da! Bet you never thought you’d see me again, but here I am, in all my glory,” she teased in a preview for the episode.
It didn’t take long for her to stir up some drama with one-time friend, Tamra Judge.
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