THE fashion police say the way an “American Idol” contestant looks on TV is partly responsible for him or her getting booted off the show.

So maybe Ace Young, who was eliminated from the “Idol” competition Wednesday night, should have asked for a little bit of help from “Idol’s” embattled stylists – who’ve been slammed for their tendencies to wax men’s eyebrows and dress their charges in ’80s-era Members Only jackets.

“I am so grateful that I have been able to dress myself,” Young told reporters yesterday on a conference call that served as something of an epilogue to his exit from “Idol.”

Young, 25, performed “That’s All” Tuesday night – a classic tune from Rod Stewart’s “Great American Songbook” collection – while dressed in a $2,000 suit with his long hair pulled back in a bun.

It was a sharp departure from the Colorado native’s usual casual style.

Young says it’s the first suit he’s ever owned, and that he bought it with a friend a few days before Tuesday night’s show.

“I really wanted to clean up and get into the mood of singing a classic song, and when I had my hair down it was a distraction,” Young said.

“I kept looking at [my hair] and I was sitting there thinking, ‘What’s wrong?’ and when I put it up, it fit the mood.

“I know grandparents and my parents really enjoyed [my appearance],” he said.

“I couldn’t have gone out on a better note.”