There are many examples of the grace and elegance that Hilary Weston displayed in her years as a fashion model, Holt Renfrew executive and lieutenant-governor of Ontario. But one that stands out to her friend and colleague Mario Manza, divisional vice president of VIP services at Holt Renfrew, happened when the two got a flat tire on New York’s Fifth Avenue in 2005.
“The driver, a gentleman who was a little on the older side and had a leg problem, was slowly getting out of the car and trying to make his way to open the door for Ms. Weston. Drivers were honking their horns and yelling obscenities, so I got out of the car and was greeted with equally colourful language, and the horns were getting louder and louder. Then the honourable Hilary Weston, dressed in a floral Oscar de la Renta dress, got out, looked at them, smiled and gave a royal wave. Well, the horns stopped and people started waving back.”
The story says so much about Weston, who passed away at age 83 in England on Aug. 2. She was calm, cool, collected and, of course, always perfectly clad. She was the first Canadian to land a spot in Vanity Fair’s The International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame and was an asset after her husband, W. Galen Weston, purchased Holt Renfrew in 1986. Designers were charmed by her fashion savvy, which helped the retailer score exclusive lines and launches. Holt Renfrew was the first to carry many hot international brands, such as Jo Malone, in Canada.
Philanthropist and former Ontario lieutenant-governor Hilary Weston dies at 83
I remember Hilary Weston
Weston counted Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Karl Lagerfeld, Victoria Beckham and Pharrell Williams among her fashion friends, according to Manza. “Sarah Burton and Alexander McQueen would drop everything to answer the phone when she called,” he says. Weston wore McQueen to three major life events: son Galen Jr.’s 2005 engagement party in Toronto, daughter Alannah’s wedding in 2007 and her husband’s 75th birthday party in 2009, the latter two taking place at Fort Belvedere, the former home of King Edward VIII, which the Westons lease from the British Crown.
“Hilary’s influence was profound, from eyeing the next big designer ahead of the pack to sharing her favourite pieces for our private label collection,” says Bonnie Brooks, who held various roles at Holt Renfrew, including executive vice president, from 1980 to 1991. “And because she was also a customer, she brought a perspective on service that would influence me throughout my career.”
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At Ms. Weston’s suggestion, Holt Renfrew hired Krystyne Griffin, former president of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche in Canada, who spearheaded designer outreach. ”In a few short years we opened Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton shops with their own environments inside the stores — a first in Canada,” Brooks says. Weston herself told me in a 1995 interview for The Toronto Star how proud she was that she had pushed to bring in American labels such as Donna Karan and Calvin Klein. “We’ve become headquarters for those designers, and it’s a huge business,” she said at the time.
“My mother was part of all the big creative moves we made,” says Alannah Weston Cochrane, former creative director of Selfridges and former chair of Selfridges Group. “We’d work for months on a concept, and she was always able to spot the one thing that we hadn’t quite nailed.”
When Ms. Weston became lieutenant-governor in 1997, she adopted a more conservative style.Moe Doiron/The Canadian Press
For major flagship events, like Holt Renfrew’s $4.5-million Viva Italia celebration of Italian culture and style in 2002 that was attended by members of the Etro, Pucci, Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta families, Weston weighed in on the guest list, party flow and press opportunities. For smaller luncheons and dinners, Manza ran every tablescape detail by her.
“Paying homage to the customers gave her great joy. She wanted each one to walk away feeling that they had experienced something wonderful and magical, so they knew they were appreciated and valued. She created that magic at her homes, as well.”
Air Mail founder and co-editor Graydon Carter recalled via e-mail a dinner the Westons gave for him in Toronto years ago. “Honestly, it was the most remarkable setting I had ever seen. Things at their place were done to perfection. It was during the Toronto Film Festival, and the guests from Los Angeles were goggle-eyed at the whole set up.”
Carter, who presided over The International Best-Dressed List and its Hall of Fame when he was editor of Vanity Fair, lauds Ms. Weston and her husband for bringing Canada to the global stage. “Hilary and Galen were true Canadian internationalists and unofficial ambassadors. With their looks and style, they touted the best of our country to the world.”
One of Weston’s final public appearances was at a dinner at the Art Gallery of Ontario in November 2023. She was hosting the intimate event to welcome Carolina Cucinelli, daughter of Italian designer Brunello Cucinelli. Many of the guests honoured the brand by dressing in creamy silks and cashmeres. But the hostess? She strode in wearing a red satin Alex Perry gown with a giant heart cut out of its back. Bold and sexy, it was basically the opposite of Brunello Cucinelli. But it was also “typical Mrs. Weston,” Manza says, in that she never felt she had to wear a designer’s clothes when spending time with them.
Though Weston was quick to embrace hot new designers, she wasn’t a fashion victim, and she had the stature and poise to carry almost anything off. “She loved adventurous styles with plunging necklines, side slits and back details,” Manza says. And she wasn’t shy about showing skin, even into her ‘70s and ‘80s. “She was proud of her model-like body.”
Weston shifted to more conservative dress when she became lieutenant-governor in 1997. “She would sit with homeless people, squeegee kids under the Gardiner [Expressway] and other marginalized people because she was very keen to know their lives,” Manza says. “So her wardrobe was not flashy.”
Brooks recalls the fun they had transforming Holt Renfrew from dowdy to daring. “She charmed her way through any challenge with a unique sparkle, grace and a wicked wit,” Brooks says. Including flat tires.
