Tracee Ellis Ross has treated fashion as a form of play for decades, long before red carpets and front rows became part of her routine. Her style credentials go back to the 1990s, when she walked for Thierry Mugler at 18, an experience she has described as the most epic birthday of her life, followed by an internship in the fashion department of the now defunct women's magazine Mirabella, her first job after graduating from Brown University.
A style passed down
Ross credits her mother, Diana Ross, with introducing her to the power of fashion, and some pieces in her decades spanning archival closet actually come straight from Diana's own wardrobe. Fashion has also connected her to some of her closest friends, including writer Michaela Angela Davis, who recalls meeting Ross more than two decades ago while she wore a sophisticated mix of designer and vintage, including a 1972 Celine piece pulled from her mother's closet. That same instinct carried into her role as Joan Clayton on Girlfriends, where she wore many of her own clothes, shoes and lipsticks on camera, and later into her Broadway debut, where she incorporated vintage Celine sunglasses and a vintage dress.
A continued devotion to the house
Since Michael Rider took over as Celine's artistic director, Ross has been vocal about her admiration for his vision, and that enthusiasm has only grown. Speaking to ELLE after the house's summer 2027 show, she said she genuinely does not know what to say about Rider's work beyond offering him all of her money, promising fans will keep seeing her in full Celine looks going forward.