A MOMENT WITH MICHAEL TAPIA
Dressed in a burgundy wool turtleneck, a tan suit from the ‘60s, vintage brown boots and little round glasses, Michael Tapia looks more like a beatnik writer than a fashion designer.
In fact, just six years ago the 26-year-old Los Angeles native divided his days between design school and wandering through old Hollywood buildings, inspired by the simple yet glamorous design. But after a stint at Carole Little, three years designing for Polo Sport at Ralph Lauren, and his latest job, chief designer for Escada Sport, it’s safe to say Tapia has found his calling.
“I really love what I’m doing,†he says. “I love designing concepts. It’s not being a designer per se. There’s a lot of fashion for fashion’s sake out there.â€
Tapia’s designs for Escada Sport are undeniably fashionable. Sweater twin sets, capri trousers and beautifully tailored blouses fill a functional collection that sells for about one-third the price of Escada ready-to-wear.
“There are so many aspects to our business. It’s not just designing evening situations. I design occasion,†he says. “I design tennis occasion, hiking occasion, ski occasion and golf occasion. I have to have elements that are true to those occasions, and they have to be spectator.â€
It’s more complicated than just dealing with PGA regulation 19-inch golf shorts. Each season, Tapia has to learn new sports rules. But he understands the importance of sports-specific clothing from firsthand experience, having once raced bikes as a semipro.
“You have to be comfortable in whatever you’re wearing,†he says.
Comfortable, and great-looking.
“If you say to me, ‘Michael, how do I look chic on the golf course?’ I’ll say wear a nice pair of capri pants and a simple polo shirt. And you say, ‘Oh, my god, this is boring.’ So it’s up to me to give you a polo shirt in a new fabric, an interesting new stitch or stretch baby cables. So, if you take a comfortable capri pant and put it with a nice belt and a simple polo in an interesting new fabrication, then all of a sudden you have your new golf look that’s understandable, comfortable and modern too. That’s the way I would do it.â€
“Modern†also describes his ski wear. Sexy stretch pants, bright wool sweaters and lame quilted parkas make up the line at the new Escada Sport store in Beverly Hills. It’s chic enough to work off the slopes.
“I call it ‘walk down the street ski’ or ‘walk down the street golf.’ I mean, most of this clothing isn’t really specific to just the occasion. We’re designing clothing for a woman who has a more relaxed work environment and can wear those stretch golf pants or that polo shirt for all occasions.â€
But even if every woman with a relaxed work environment was decked out in Escada Sport, it’s doubtful that Tapia would feel satisfied.
“I’m still working it out,†he says with a laugh. “It’s definitely not perfected yet.â€
