CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN Carrie Robbins CARRIE ROBBINS By Arnold Aronson arrie Robbins is probably the only designer ever kicked out of Yale's Helen Hadley dormitory for tap dancing in the bathroom at 4 a.m. This is not, of course, what makes her one of the busiest and most exciting costume designers in the country today, but it does shed some light on the sheer drive and energy of her work. To this day, she is often up and working at four in the morning, safe from the intrusion of the telephone and the noise from New York City streets fifteen floors below. When she is working on a project her mind is racing and sleep is difficult. And there is never just one project. A look at her resume for the early 1980s might suggest that her schedule was light - but it is deceptive. The number of Broadway productions certainly declined 8 TD&T . WINTER 1987