Alexandra on horseback in Kyrgyzstan. Privacy Policy, Three North European decorated and painted lidded jars, mid-19th century, Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, A set of 12 hand-coloured engravings of botanical specimens, 19th century, now offering some of its contents for sale at Christies, George Smart, A pair of Regency cut-felt collage pictures of, a trio of decorated and painted lidded jars, a mid-20th-century English oak and brass desk, A Russian painted pine model of the Trinity Monastry of St. Sergius, c. 1900. Riding the length of the Silk Road in 1999, from the ruins of Merv, in Turkmenistan, to Xian, in China, set off this whole apocalyptic adventure or perhaps I should say misadventure. The aristocratic beauty, 46, and her three children,Alexei, Ivan and Maria, were evicted from the south London mansion during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic after reportedly being given just 12 days notice by the Russian government, who repossessed the property. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. [9][10], In 1974, at the age of ninety, Tolstaya received birthday greetings from President of the United States Richard Nixon, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and others, and was interviewed by The New York Times. The two are not mutually exclusive. After the Silk Road journey, he, a friend and I went to Mongolia with only packhorses. I did really lose myself in that period and Ive started dressing in a way that just wasnt me. When I came back, I switched my university course from philosophy to Russian at Edinburgh. It was a real adventure. He appointed her as executor of his will, a task she had to undertake in 1910. Alexandra Tolstoy was the youngest daughter and 12th of 13 children of Sonya Tolstoy and Count Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, the celebrated Russian author. Leo Tolstoy's life", 1953 and others). The Italian models of buildings in Pisa worked in perfect harmony amongst the photos on this table. I love decorative art - it adds to the layering of a home - and again these were the perfect colours for our home. It was obvious that Alexandra had a completely new life with a huge staff: cooks, nannies, drivers. It was on that trip that I met my former husband, Shamil Galimzyanov, an Uzbek horseman. Back then, people heard about the trips by word of mouth. The auction house expects the lots to make in the region of 250,000. Reading Russian literature gave me a greater understanding of the Russian character. She tells me that Sergei did have really good taste, but, I was surprised to learn, collected artwork for its style, rather than for the sake of them being expensive pieces., Alexandra seems to be regaining her confidence since the ending of her relationship and peak surveillance a few years ago in the documentary, theres recent footage of her and her children riding scooters to school in the morning, something she never could have done a few years ago. I slightly lost myself thinking [the Pugachev-era clothes] were beautiful and actually its extraordinary how your vision can get warped and distorted. Of course, Id never even set foot in a Chanel shop before, so it was exciting. Back in Russia after that Paris sojourn, we went to the opera in St Petersburg, it was all these oligarchs and their wives. He also claims 'credible attempts' had been made on his life in the UK. I telephone Alexandra on a sunny afternoon during lockdown, which she is spending at her parents house with the children; suffering from asthma, she thinks it safer to be with other adults, just in case. Its a safari-type adventure; we stay in the most beautiful locations. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to In 2015, the Russians pursued Pugachev in the British courts to reclaim the missing $1 billion, for which he was found liable, and his passport was seized and his assets worldwide were frozen: he fled illegally to France, for which he was sentenced to two years imprisonment in the UK meaning he couldnt return to be with Alexandra and the children. As well as her own pre-loved pieces, there are also bargains from some of her fashionable friends, including Cond Nast Traveller's fashion director Martha Ward and chic interiors store owner Alex Eagle. I lived with a Russian family in Moscow the father was an actor. I met the father of my three children, Sergei Pugachev, a banker formerly in Putins inner circle, in 2009. But it wasnt really me. In 2018, I returned after eight years away. Follow our Instagram@Telegraphfashion, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, Alexandra Tolstoy atYasnaya Polyana, Tolstoys country estate, wearing Vika Gazinskaya, Alexandra Tolstoy wearing vintage Eponine, Alexandra Tolstoy horse riding inKyrgyzstan, Alexandra Tolstoy cooking in a whiteembroidered dress, Alexandra Tolstoy wearing a Dolce & Gabbana dress now listed for 290 on her website, Alexandra Tolstoy buying textiles in Bishkek market, Pencil skirts, high heels, sheer tights and aviators Saint Laurents new collection has them all, How the Princess of Wales makes her Zara bargains look expensive, Here's what the high street should borrow from Diors blockbuster show, If you want to update your wardrobe classics, borrow these 7 handy tips from the Italians, Damian Lewis and the formula for nailing rocker style over 50, travel business leading expeditions through the former Russian empire. Discover the magic of fairy tales, Fair Isle and Scottish cashmere in our latest collaboration with explorer, writer, and broadcaster Alexandra Tolstoy. Follow Alexandra Tolstoy and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's Alexandra Tolstoy Author Page. He has previously been declared to be in contempt of court, with a two-year prison sentence left hanging over his head should he return to this country. ", "The paintings of Indian palaces. Alexandra Tolstoy's fairytale Oxfordshire cottage The owner of this Oxfordshire cottage was determined to stay true to its roots, and, with the help of her designer, has created a traditional interior that incorporates and complements her collection of antiques 1 July 2021 Estimate: 2,000-3,000. She spent her gap year in Russia. Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. With the help of Emma Burns and Daniel Slowik of Londons longest established interior decorating firm, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, the Anglo-Russian author and broadcaster created an interior that was warm, welcoming and a reflection of her unique sense of style. 10:55 EST 03 Nov 2020 Each 18 x 14 in (47 x 35.5 cm), framed. At The Tolstoy Edit, we are happy to share with you our favourite finds for the home; antiques, as well as occasional newer pieces, curated by Alexandra Tolstoy, the adventurer and writer. But an experience like that opens your mind. , updated Mothers share the things they want to remember this time around - including going to the tip, picking up craft supplies and having acrylic nails taken off, Britain's first blind and deaf trainee medic reveals she's spent 'more time as a patient than a doctor-to-be' during a nightmare year where she was made homeless and spent three months in hospital. organisation Sunday February 09 2020, 12.01am GMT, The Sunday Times. I have great synergy with Emma so as a three we were prefect. The next year, I took a trip to Kyrgyzstan, which is better suited to riding because its mountainous and beautiful, and the horses are wonderful. When I was with Sergei, I stopped reading so much of that 19th-century literature which Im so passionate about With the life I live now, emotionally and mentally I can romantically dream and escape whereas then, it was so stultifying., I wonder if, like her fashion sense, her interior design interests were affected during her time with Sergei, as one might imagine they would be, but she says that they werent: Weirdly, the interior decorating never changed I could afford more things, but [Sergei] didnt really give me the opportunity to do very much the taste never changed there at all. I completely forgot that Id done these amazing riding documentaries, that Id been this adventurous person and those things suddenly seemed not very important because he kept telling me that they werent important and they didnt mean anything.. 797 following. I have a lot of energy. Alexandra worked closely with the London-based interior designers and decorators Emma Burns and Daniel Slowik of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler Interiors from 2008 onwards to create her family home, where she lived for 12 years. We had an oligarchic lifestyle, and even had a suite on standby at Claridges. So we went to Chanel and bought a dress. Shes kept a few special pieces. The book details the difficulties she faced living in Russia during and after the revolution. Offered in Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 4-25 November, Online. "Decorative, colourful, comfortable, quirky, full of pattern and informal," is how Daniel describes the aesthetic. In Once Long Ago, Jenny Robinson invites us to Sonnet for Foxe by Anna Cowan and Ruth Port, Backstage interview: the creatives behind Bare, Oxford, the 15-Minute City, and the Birth of a Lie, NUS referendum voting underway as campaigning intensifies, A varsity society match like no other; an ACS affair. Alexandra Tolstaya Countess Alexandra ( Sasha) Lvovna Tolstaya ( Russian: ; 18 June 1884 - 26 September 1979), often anglicized to Tolstoy, was the youngest daughter and secretary of the noted Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. Id never felt like that ever before, I was normally quite confident about the way I dressed., Her first taste of the oligarch life soon followed.That evening, President Sarkozy was giving a friend of Sergeis the Legion d'Honneur, and there was a party at the Elysee Palace, and obviously I couldnt go in my jeans and Uggs. Its the kind of fashion scenario dreams are made of, isnt it? Theyre just beautiful and Ill pass them on to my daughter. Nicknamed Putins Banker, Pugachev owned a coal mine, shipyards, designer brands and one of Russias largest private banks before a catastrophic fall from favour placed him at number 3 on the Kremlin hit list. I wanted to cleanse that whole phase of my life and get back to who I really was, she says of her decision to sell off her designer wares. I gave 20% of what I made to a charity in St Petersburg for children with autism. One such piece is a Dolce & Gabbana star print dress (290, pictured up top), which she wore during a trip to Monaco in 2011, the same year she attended the wedding of Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock there. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. In the propertys light, lofty rooms, vibrant contemporary pieces sit in happy juxtaposition with 19th-century works of art, fabulous curiosities and treasures from Tolstoys globetrotting adventures. Their gilded life of globe trotting with a small army of staff evaporates as Pugachev falls out of favour with Putin, eventually holing up at his chateau in the South of France with Tolstoy and their three children, Aliosha, Ivan, and Maria, left to fend for themselves. Its complete freedom. They will say I am old fashioned, but I am afraid for this country, because of lack of religion among the young ones, drugs, immorality and the shamelessness of youth.[4], For her present-day distant cousin of the same name, see, Last edited on 31 December 2022, at 00:52, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Alexandra Tolstoy, at 90, Is Honored for Lifetime of Helping Others, "What Today's Youth Can Learn From the Great Russian Writer Leo Tolstoy", Oral history interview with Alexandra Tolstoy 1966, Picture of Alexandra Tolstoy in Valley Cottage, Saint Sergius Learning Center founded in association with Tolstoy Foundation in Valley Cottage, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexandra_Tolstaya&oldid=1130601922, This page was last edited on 31 December 2022, at 00:52. It is also incredibly practical - it doesnt slip on the wooden floor and my children played on it everyday! I went quite street. Now I embrace embroidery, vintage Fair Isle knitwear from eBay and clothes by the Russian designer Russmotive, which reprints old fabric designs. It completely goes when you can buy it all and who doesnt love a bargain? Earlier that day, she proudly tells me, shed found wonderful vintage Hungarian fabrics and embroidery to re-use for the childrens little wooden caravan, making curtains: thats just so rewarding. It was amazing. analyse how our Sites are used. ", The house, though small, was designed to work well for entertaining, but also as a space where Alexandra's children could play and be comfortable. A total of 130 items once displayed in the home, including a Scottish Regency bookcase, carved alabaster models and mid-20th century artwork will be auctioned at Christie's. I feel were moving to a new phase and thats exciting, she says. For her almost 50,000 Instagram followers (@alexandratolstoy), these memories of oligarch-style trophy buys will be impossible to conflate with the idyllic look she now encapsulates. She died in 1979, at age 96, and was laid to rest in the Russian cemetery of Spring Valley, New York, USA. Stephanie Linning For Mailonline, What REALLY happens on The Chase! Featuring our stunning jumbo cord overshirt and trousers, silk blouses and folk print dress, this collection is your one stop shop to style her fairy tale inspired Fair Isle jumper and tank top. As the partner of a Russian oligarch, Countess Alexandra Tolstoy had an envy-inducing wardrobe, as she dressed the part in haute couture gowns accessorised with diamonds and designer handbags. Everything was paid for and clothes were delivered at home. I think that probably this business partner had been the brains, and Sergei had been the power broker, Despite the tumult of threats, financial loss, and romantic decline, complicated with the duty of raising small children, Alexandra seems at harmony with her present situation, and this is thanks to her newly unostentatious lifestyle that of the billionaires wife just didnt suit her: My whole confidence got so smashed when I was with him; he was so very manipulative, very denigrating about my riding, my exhibitions, my travel and so, I began to focus on all these things which a normal kind of oligarchs girlfriend would focus on. They had three children together - Alexei, known as Aliosha, Ivan and Maria. or She could choose whatever she wanted. I obviously didnt have a very big budget, but when I lived in Russia, there was this amazing flea market on the outskirts of Moscow and I used to go at the weekend and hunt for antiques. She has also added a section dedicated to her favourite brands - including Pink City Prints, Pioneers and Alex Gore Browne - offering discounts on each with a special code. FILTER Showing 23 products Cashmere Folk Fair Isle Jumper 495 259 The pair soon enlisted Burns help. The mansion was purchased by her ex-partner and the father of her children, Sergei Pugachev, 57, who was once dubbed 'the Kremlins banker' and was close to Vladimir Putin but fell into disfavour and was labelled a traitor by the Russian president. Search instead in. Shortly afterwards I introduced her to Emma for decoration help with other projects globally and the relationship grew and grew. Old fabric designs [ the Pugachev-era clothes ] were beautiful and actually its extraordinary how your vision can get and!, vintage Fair Isle Jumper 495 259 the pair soon enlisted Burns help children. Oligarchic lifestyle, and even had a suite on standby at Claridges beautiful locations and its. 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