The Queen of Hugs
Exhibit reveals Lois Hole’s personality through her style
Lois Hole’s rubber boots still have a dried leaf in them.
A cream pair of her beloved pumps have been fixed by a shoe master, but still have cat or dog bites on them, perhaps from some pet full of mischief.
And Vlada Blinova chose for her Queen of Hugs a light blue, simple silk dress Hole wore in the garden, since the cotton version was so well loved it was showing its wear.
On Oct. 23, an exhibit opens at the University of Alberta, free to the public, displaying Hole’s personality through her fashion and style. It features eight of Hole’s outfits, her strings of pearls, her favourite garden hoe and the Holt Renfrew hat she wore to meet the Queen.
One denim skirt’s hem is embroidered with flowers.
A white-and-red striped blouse has its sleeves gently rolled up.
“This was part of her life,” said Blinova, a University of Alberta human ecology professor who curated the exhibit and loves how physical items can impart a person’s personality and character through style.
“People saw her in these outfits. It’s quite important to collect things that represent historically significant people like Lois Hole.”
Blinova, who manages the university’s textiles collection, spent the last two years getting to know Hole for the exhibit.
She read about Hole in newspaper articles, flipped through Hole’s gardening books, spoke with the Hole family and learned about the former lieutenant-governor of Alberta through her style choices.
Hole, who died Jan. 6, 2005 at age 75 from abdominal cancer, was a mother, wife, professional gardener, author and advocate for literacy and education. The exhibit in the human ecology building commemorates the 10th anniversary of Hole’s death, as well as her roles as the U of A’s chancellor and the province’s 15th lieutenant-governor.
Blinova couldn’t display all 90 items the family donated to the university’s textile collection, including lipstick, glasses and purses. Instead, she chose classic pieces that Hole wore in her various roles, from gardener to provincial representative.
“I’m just so fascinated by the size of this personality, all these things that she represented,” said Blinova, who never met Hole personally, but wanted to recognize the influence and personal touch of the Queen of Hugs. Hole hugged schoolchildren and celebrities alike, including Wayne Gretzky when he received an honourary degree.
“It’s so amazing to have someone like that as a role model,” Blinova said. “I wish we would have more politicians like her.”
The Hole family said Lois didn’t like shopping, so endured daylong shopping excursions where she would buy multiple items she needed from specific stores and labels that fit her needs, then stay away from the malls until the next time.
“This speaks to a woman who knew her own style: she figured out a look that was appropriate and worked with that,” said Lori Moran, the exhibit’s co-curator and assistant chairwoman of the human ecology department.
Hole wore loose-fitting dresses in the garden, then wore comfortable, sometimes glamorous jackets and skirts to official outings. “She looked very at ease in all that formal clothing, but it’s still kind of distinctively Lois.”
Hole wore one outfit on display — a light green cotton jacket and skirt — to meet seniors and hand out ice cream to university students, as well as when she was with members of the Japanese royal family planting trees at the Devonian Botanic Garden.
Hole could start a summer morning wearing her white Reebok gardening runners (paired with skirts and dresses), then slip on her gold-buckled Salvatore Ferragamo shoes for a formal evening with politicians.
“She demonstrated skills of a real ‘master of transformation,’ ” son Jim Hole told the curators, “turning herself into a beautifully dressed woman after a day filled with hard work in the greenhouse or field.”
“People like her should be remembered,” Blinova said.
“She has done so much for our community, for our country, for our province.”