Admittedly, we talk about Judy Aldridge quite a bit, but we always talk about her style. Well, we do love Judy’s style, but we also really, really love her sense of humor. You get glimpses of her personality on Atlantis Home and Sea of Shoes, but for a giant dose of personality, humor, and style, we opt for Plastic Animal A Day. I love — so much — the way she takes the time to style and shoot a plastic animal a day. So darn kooky and clever — it just makes you love her even more. Here’s a little taste.

EDIT: Judy’s sister, Karen, is actually the current creative, clever and witty force behind Plastic Animal a Day. Thanks for keeping us in stitches, Karen!

Best wishes on Inauguration day…

a little plastic animal Thanksgiving feast…

Love this little eel swimming in the “sea”…

And my personal favorite series…

"This hyena looks like he'd run through the village with a baby in his mouth. And if his mouth were open, I've got a little plastic baby that I'd put in there."

"Look at him, wait, I think his mouth is open."

"There, got the baby in the mouth."

 It’s clear that she loves her little animal family…

has a blast playing with her toys…

and has a keen eye for style and a delightful, slightly twisted sense of humor…

Judy Aldridge: style maven. She knows that even comedy can benefit from a little style!

We have been obsessed with those slouchy ankle socks from Prada since we first started seeing them in ‘08. We cannot for the life of us find what collection they are from and are starting to think that maybe they weren’t Prada after all. The only thing we’re sure of is that we saw them. Somewhere.

It never occurred to us to actually invest in them. I guess we both thought, they’re just socks. We can get socks anywhere. Well, little did we know what a task we had tasked ourselves with! For the past year and a half or so, we have been searching high and low for the perfect slouchy ankle socks. We’ve been to Target, to American Apparel, to Bloomingdales, H&M, Urban Outfitters… We’ve bought countless pairs of socks and tried to DIY our own Prada slouchy sock, but to no avail.

Then, we were at Bloomies looking for tights for an upcoming shoot and came across these little guys from Betsey Johnson…

We definitely were not looking for pink glitter Betsey Johnson socks, but they were seriously calling out to me. So we got them. And they’re perfect…

Mason anorak, Gar-de Penn henley, Opening Ceremony high-waisted skirt, Betsey Johnson socks, 1st season Louis Vuitton pumps

Since starting on this post, I’ve done a lot of research in my quest to find that elusive little slouchy ankle sock and my search has unearthed some of the internet’s most stylish ladies rockin’ all kinds of socks. So, thought I’d collect a few of them and give you a tribute to the Sock.

Susie Bubble with her collage from Prada’s SS07 collection along with some shots of her DIY version

The Aldridge ladies, Judy and Jane, sporting a variety of sock/shoe combos…

Alix, the cherry blossom girl…

Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere…

and our new friend, Erin, doing a delightful job of mixing her colors…

Long live the sock!!

images via Style Bubble, Atlantis Home, Sea of Shoes, The Cherry Blossom Girl, and Cupcakes and Cashmere.

So, most of you who follow this blog are undoubtedly familiar with the uber-stylish Jane of Sea of Shoes. We love Jane, but after reading Jane’s blog for some time, we have really become taken with Jane’s mom, Judy Aldridge. Judy should be the poster child (woman?) for twentythirtyforty.net. She wears what she loves and loves what she wears. She is not afraid to take risks and clearly dresses solely for herself. She rocks out every single outfit she dons with the utmost confidence and commitment. Just look at her in this shirtdress with piles and piles of accessories and good old-fashioned geek glasses.

Good, no? Judy has a long and prestigious history in the world of fashion (former model & boutique owner, now online purveyor of style), so it’s no surprise that she’s such a style maven. You’ll definitely want to check out her online vintage shop, Atlantis Vintage, as well as her fantastic blog, Atlantis Home(where she always posts about newly added shop items). Judy loves her some vintage shopping and she has a very keen eye, so things in her shop move quickly. Don’t wait too long or that YSL silk shift will be gone like McQueen on Gilt Groupe! 

It’s difficult as a woman over 40 to stay hip, stylish, current and age-appropriate. Somehow, Judy Aldridge always seems to get it right. She’s just down with who she is and that’s reflected in her impeccable personal style. I think what always gets us about her is how completely effortless and cool she always looks. We love those Olsen twins (haven’t talked about that much, but we do), but THIS is the style icon that we aspire to be.

Gotta love a woman who understands the power of a great shoe and some fabulous accessories…

And Judy’s style isn’t just about Judy: check out the skirt she made for daughter, Carol (this one bakes, by the way. such a creative and talented group of ladies!)

Thank you, Judy, for inspiring us all to take some risks, wear what we love, and embrace who we are.