Ace Ross lands TV gig .

Date : 8/1/2001 ; Publication : Children's Business; Author : Clack, Erin E.

ACE ROSS , FOUNDER OF THE CUTTING- EDGE , new kids' fashion label Ace Ross Studios, recently went in front of the camera for the taping of a segment for Oxygen Network's SheCommerce, a program whose mission is to give female consumers the inside track on shopping.

The show's production crew staked out turf on the designer floor of New York City 's luxe department store Saks Fifth Avenue , in an effort to bring the show right to the scene of the crime, so to speak.

Show hosts Wendy Shanker, Leticia Castillo and Janine Marino quizzed Ross on some of the key fall fashion trends for kids and the significant influence of the rock 'n roll world on these trends.

During the segment, Ross was joined by four young tweens, all aspiring actresses and members of New York 's Broadway Kids troupe, who modeled some of the season's must-have looks. No stranger to show business himself, Ross, who once frontlined the rock band, “Ram Jam” and starred in numerous made-for-television films and national commercials, as well as in the 20th anniversary stage revival of "Hair," cited various anecdotes from his colorful days in the music and theater scene.

Putting a historical perspective on things, Ross drew direct parallels to the very contemporary, yet vintage-inspired designs he churns out for tweens today. "Kids today really love to be educated on the '60s, '70s and '80s. These times were so amazing because it was all about self-expression," he says. "The rock stars all wore glitter and sequins, bell bottoms and platform shoes. People were sewing patches on their clothes or wearing a printed T-shirt that made them feel good about what their belief systems were."

He underscored the point that fashion is, in essence, entirely cyclical. No trend is entirely new, but rather a modern derivative of an old trend.

"The past brought together with the technology of the future is giving us a trend in clothing that is just outstanding," Ross says.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Fairchild Publications, Inc.