How can I change a Spark WindowedApplication StatusBar skin programatically? - css

Question

Currently I'm using the ideas in this post to skin my s:WindowedApplication, so in the declaration of my component I have skinClass="StatusBarSkin1". Also in my preinitialize function I have a method which puts the correct text onto the status bar using the label, which works fine.
The problem arises when I try and set the skinClass in my CSS, so I can change between StatusBarSkin1 and StatusBarSkin2. So I'm doing something like:
Style1.css
----------
.mainWindow
{
skinClass: ClassReference("StatusBarSkin1");
}
Style2.css
----------
.mainWindow
{
skinClass: ClassReference("StatusBarSkin2");
}
If I do this, the theme loads fine, but the text for the status bar won't display; and if I set the theme in the WindowedApplication itself, then I can't change the skin on the status bar when I change CSS files using a method.
Is there a better way to implement this than what I'm doing now?
EDIT:
The statusbar object is just an HGroup with some labels and stuff in it.
The statusbar skin is given by this code:
<s:Group id="statusBar"
width="100%"
minHeight="20">
<!-- status bar fill -->
<s:Rect left="0"
right="0"
top="0"
bottom="0">
<s:fill>
<s:LinearGradient rotation="90">
<s:GradientEntry color="0x575757" />
<s:GradientEntry color="0x373737" />
</s:LinearGradient>
</s:fill>
</s:Rect>
<!-- status bar highlight -->
<s:Rect left="1"
right="1"
top="1"
bottom="0">
<s:stroke>
<s:LinearGradientStroke rotation="90"
weight="1">
<s:GradientEntry color="0x575757" />
<s:GradientEntry color="0x373737" />
</s:LinearGradientStroke>
</s:stroke>
</s:Rect>
<!-- status text -->
<!--- #copy spark.components.WindowedApplication#statusText -->
<s:Label id="statusText" />
<s:Group id="statusBarSkin" />
</s:Group>
and then my preinit function is
private function InitStatusBar():void
{
statusGroup = new StatusBar();
(statusBar as Group).addElement(statusGroup);
}