MADEIRA, Ohio — Academy Award-winning actor and director Robert Redford filmed his final motion picture in 2017. He's seen wearing seven different suits throughout the film, each of them handmade by a custom suit shop in Madeira.
Founded in 1968, Romauldo has become a staple for menswear and fine tailoring in the Greater Cincinnati area. The store dresses executives, athletes and even Vice President JD Vance, who ordered four suits for the week of the inauguration.
Hours after news of Redford's death Tuesday at the age of 89, Romauldo posted on Facebook sharing a promotional photo of Redford in the film The Old Man & the Gun, a film loosely based on career criminal Forrest Tucker for which Redford was nominated for a Golden Globe. It was shot here in the Tri-State in 2017.
We sat down with co-owner Tim Brock to talk about the experience of creating Redford's looks in the film.
"It was a pretty surreal experience," Brock said. "It was challenging in the fact that they needed them quickly."
WATCH: Tim Brock recalls creating Robert Redford's suits for "The Old Man & the Gun"
Brock said one day in 2017, a woman walked into the store explaining that her team was filming a movie in the area and they needed suits made for the wardrobe. The woman did not reveal what the movie was or who the suits would be worn by.
She only said she would supply her own fabric to cut down on costs because she was on a budget and that she was on a time crunch, Brock told us.
"She shows back up within the next week, and she goes, 'OK, I need seven suits with vests in like three and a half weeks,'" Brock said. "And I was like, 'Oh. Seven?'"
The typical timeline to craft a single handmade suit is six to eight weeks, Brock said. Suffice to say, it was a rush job.
It gets better.
Redford never came in for measurements. The woman who requested the suits only emailed over his dimensions.
"Once (the suits) came in, we had to find a way to fit him. When he got into town for shooting, we didn't have a lot of time, so I went to some sound stage, I want to say, over on Paddock Road. They're like, 'Come over here. They're fitting him this week in all of his wardrobe,'" Brock said. "So, it was really fun to drive over there. I had all these suits on me. Sat in the waiting room."
Brock was called back to fit Redford. Because they were all the same measurements, Redford only had to try one suit. It was almost a perfect fit.
Then the woman running the wardrobe department turned to Brock and asked if he did alterations. He told her yes. Next thing Brock knew, he was being tasked with fitting Redford for his entire wardrobe for the film.
"So, I sat there with him, talked to him for 20, 30 minutes, fitted a leather jacket, a suit, a tweed jacket," Brock said. "So, it was really fun, and nicest guy in the world. Super respectful, loved everything that we did. Loved the suits. Very classic look for that movie, so he was thrilled once we were done. We probably altered like 20 pieces."
Brock said unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep any of the suits, nor was he able to photograph any of them during the fitting process. At that time, the movie was in pre-production and still known by its working title.
I asked Brock if he could describe the suit Redford is wearing in the promotional photo.
"It was a navy stripe suit, English wool, slightly heavy. Very, very traditional pinstripe, so it kind of was an English look. Very traditional. Think of the time period of the movie. It worked very well for what they were doing," Brock said.
"The Old Man & the Gun" was the first movie Brock ever worked on. He said he'll never forget his interaction with Redford, or his work tailoring the looks he wore.
"When I walked in with Robert, the first thing was a loud, boisterous, 'Hello,' and a hearty handshake. Like he really shook my hand with a hard grip," Brock said. "Very fun to be around. He was super down-to-earth. He really asked more about me ... It turned out to be fun, and he was just such a great guy to work with."
