ST. ANDREWS, HELENE (20 Apr. 1912-29 Mar. 1993) during her 55 years with the Higbee Company (see DILLARD DEPARTMENT STORES), influenced the tastes and styles of thousands of women in Greater Cleveland.
Born in Cleveland to Henry and Rose St. Andrews, she graduated from CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, attended Ohio State University and JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY. She studied at the Darvas School of Fashion and appeared in musical comedy for three years in New York City before she returned to Cleveland in 1937.
St. Andrews began her career with the Higbee Company in 1938 as an in-house fashion model, advanced to assistant fashion director, and later, fashion director. As fashion coordinator, a position created for her at Higbee's in 1958, she worked with national and international designers during Higbee's Import Fairs. She also produced departmental fashion shows in Higbee's auditorium, on television, at private clubs, and other institutions. Higbee's Stag Shop for men was one of her innovations. By 1975, she had become Higbee's Personal Fashion Consultant and advised many Cleveland women.
Miss St. Andrews organized the first teen and college boards for students interested in fashion. In 1962 she created the Fashion Therapy Clinic for Patients of Fairhill Psychiatric Clinic (see FAIRHILL MENTAL HEALTH CENTER). She was a founding member and past regional director of The Fashion Group of Cleveland, Inc. and wrote and lectured on fashion.
She married Charles Varga on 2 Jan. 1945. They had two children, Gregory and Maureen. A Roman Catholic, Miss St. Andrews is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery.