Gretchen Rossi<\/a> may have donned her signature blonde locks when she made her recent return as a friend on The Real Housewives of Orange County<\/a>\u00a0Season 16, but she was once rocking a much different hue.<\/p>\n Gretchen proved she\u2019s 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.\u00a0 Gretchen \u2014 who looked almost unrecognizable in the photos \u2014 first broke out the bright lavender wig, styled in a bob with heavy side-swept bangs,\u00a0 in 2016 while paying homage to one of the music industry\u2019s greats: the late Prince.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone knows I love a good theme party!\u201d she captioned a photo<\/a> 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. \u201cSaturday night fun in Rancho Santa Fe for a Purple Rain\/Prince Tribute Party!\u201d<\/p>\n The entrepreneur <\/a>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,\u00a0Skylar Gray Smiley<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gretchen, her longtime fianc\u00e9<\/a>,\u00a0Slade Smiley<\/a>, and the couple\u2019s daughter each offered up their own take on a unicorn in the adorable series of photos<\/a>, which showed the trio happily posing together on a fall-themed porch.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHappy Halloween everyone! From our little Unicorn family to yours,\u201d Gretchen captioned the sweet photos at the time. \u201cIt\u2019s Sky\u2019s 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\u2026Learning this is life with a baby!\u201d<\/p>\n Although the family may have looked picture perfect for the Halloween photo shoot, Gretchen joked that it only lasted about \u201c60 seconds\u201d before Skylar was \u201cover\u201d it.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0 Gretchen \u2014 who this time was embracing the blonde locks she\u2019s more known for \u2014 Slade and Skylar all posed together in a series of images<\/a> on Instagram wearing coordinated red, white, and blue attire while celebrating the holiday at Bass Lake.<\/p>\n \u201cHad such a special 4th of July with the whole family at the lake!\u201d Gretchen wrote alongside the images. \u201cNothing like barbecuing hot dogs and hamburgers, playing fun games on the lawn, having a margarita & laughing with the fam!\u201d<\/p>\n Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley post for a photo with their daughter<\/p>\n After leaving RHOC <\/i>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 \u2014including becoming a mom \u2014 the one thing she still hasn\u2019t done is walk down the aisle with Slade<\/a>.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n Fans got to see Gretchen\u2019s return<\/a> to the franchise in Season 19, Episode 2.\u00a0 \u201cTa-da! Bet you never thought you\u2019d see me again, but here I am, in all my glory,\u201d she teased in a preview for the episode.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t take long for her to stir up some drama with one-time friend,<\/a> Tamra Judge<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSee Gretchen Rossi’s purple hair for a special occasion with her family<\/h2>\n
Inside Gretchen Rossi & Slade Smiley’s family life<\/h2>\n
Gretchen Rossi reveals an update on her engagement to Slade Smiley<\/h2>\n
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