Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN TRAVIS BARNARD R obin Chalfin knows things. She knows things that tabloids would pay big money to leak. She has the lowdown on Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Lady Gaga, and Mick Jagger, too. But you won't hear a peep from Chalfin. She's a professional. Besides, does anyone really want to know Sir Jagger's inseam? Well, do they? "Oh gosh, sometimes people ask those weird kinds of questions, but Throwing a Fit WHEN HOLLYWOOD HOTSHOTS HIT BOSTON, ROBIN CHALFIN IS THEIR GOTO TAILOR, AND THIS SPRING SHE'S SHARING HER SKILLS WITH NONCELEBS, TOO. BY LISA PIERPONT usually they just want to know if a certain celebrity is nice," says Chalfin. Her skill as a tailor has exposed her to worlds she never imagined—megawatt movie sets and concerts in Boston being the biggest. She altered Sandra Bullock's SWAT vest in The Heat, constructed Michelle Williams's yellow dress for Shutter Island, and stood back- stage, needle and thread ready, at Justin Timberlake's concert in Fenway Park. Most recently, she worked as the head tailor on the set of The Forger, which filmed in the Museum of Fine Arts and stars John Travolta—known to Chalfin as the Disco Icon: "The first day on set, I heard his voice in the other room, and I almost died. It was major f lip-out material." Material? Chalfin clearly doesn't realize she's made a seamstress joke. The Peabody native studied fashion at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where her metic- ulous basting and darning landed her a position in the Boston Ballet's costume department. "Robin had good attention to detail," recalls Charles Heightchew, Boston Ballet's manager of costumes and wardrobe. "Having that keen eye for clean, classic tech- niques and finishes in the costume world is trickier than people think." Just days into the job, Chalfin was hooked. "To see my costumes onstage and how the audience became so happy watching the dancers was extremely fulfilling." After nine years at the ballet, in 2006 Chalfin struck out on her own to freelance on local movie sets and to create Toolkit, a mobile house-call service for clients all over Greater Boston. Through April she's offering two spring specials: the Bridal Party Soirée ("I take the pain out of the bridesmaid dress and host a party for the girls, where I come and fit everyone at once") and Spring Closet Renewal, where she helps clients reinvent, alter, or give away garments. Her stories about non-celebrities rival anything she's seen on set. "I once built five bridesmaid dresses for a Chicago wedding without meeting any of the ladies. They all fit great." The Disco Icon himself had a similar experience, according to The Forger's costume designer Abigail Murray. "He suggested I wrap [Chalfin] up and hide her, as talent like that was truly hard to find." That was (disco) music to Chalfin's ears. "He asked me for my business card when the film wrapped. It takes a while to get used to normal life again. I've loved working with actors like John," she says. "But I can always see them in their movies." toolkitboston@gmail.com BC INSIGHT Shop: "Fabric Place Basement in Natick is my fabric superstore. If I can't find an exact match, Julie, the manager, takes me into the ware- house to find the perfect color." See: "Coolidge Corner Theatre shows diverse films and has a nostalgic feel." Robin Chalfin sharpens her tools in the costume trailer on the set of The Forger. 50 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM TALENT PATROL 050_BC_SP_TP_RobinC_Spring14.indd 50 2/6/14 4:49 PM