Consistency Brings Helga a New Following

“I think fashion is an evolution. It is slow, and it is very subtle,” Helga says.

Yet the Los Angeles designer, who twice a year travels to Europe to see the Paris couture collections, is always there for the revolutions. While there were no fashion uprisings in the spring-summer openings late last month, Helga says the evolutionary moves worth watching are the return to form-fitting designs and the gradual raising of hemlines.

Luxurious Fabrics

Although her fashion studies never fail to influence her--”whatever you see registers,” she says--Helga remains a fashion classicist who works in luxurious, imported fabrics, including printed silks that are exclusive to her in the United States.

Her business, she says, which has been ongoing for more than 30 years, is expanding at a new rate and now includes a whole new following of young professional women who are discovering Helga for the first time. It pleases her immensely. She hasn’t changed; the customer has. She believes that it only goes to show that “fashion has become important again.”

Favorites for Spring

Helga’s favorite looks for spring include a softly tailored suit with slim skirt in lightweight wool gabardine, a sailor dress in navy linen, and a two-piece print silk shirt and matching pleated skirt ensemble worn with a gold chain belt. She ordered one of those from herself for herself.

“I think elegance has returned,” Helga says. “Women want beautiful, functional clothes. And they want to be comfortable.”

Helga will appear with her collection at Elizabeth Arden in Beverly Hills Wednesday, and the line will continue to be on view Feb. 28 and March 1.