But, Alexandras presently unassuming country lifestyle, or, indeed, the life of adventure in her earlier years, is miles from the shrouded world of Russian high society, and from the 200-acre estate in Hertfordshire and $40 million beach-front Caribbean villa she recently enjoyed with her husband, whose fortune went from $15 billion to $70 million and now refuses to give her and the children even a penny. Showing Editorial results for alexandra tolstoy. Those Monaco wedding couture commissions and a tweed Chanel cardigan (they did a Scottish collection which is the kind of thing I love because its all about the countryside, so Ive kept that). Together, in 1939 they founded the Tolstoy Foundation.[4]. Offered in Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 4-25 November, Online. I note how impossible it must be to represent oneself in a society where value and status is projected through selfsame designer clothes and modern houses, which is entirely different to the way she represents herself now. A German man came up to me after my talk and asked if I could set up a trek for him and 10 of his friends. The book details the difficulties she faced living in Russia during and after the revolution. Being in that landscape makes your senses alert. During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. 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. Pugachev once owned two major shipyards, the world's biggest mine and large chunks of real estate in Moscow and St Petersburg, as well as the Mezhprombank, which he co-founded in the 1990s. Discover Alexandra Tolstoy's favourite pieces and collaboration designs. Alexandra said: 'The sale of the interiors from my Chelsea townhouse at Christies London marks a new chapter in my life. Until then, dressing up for Tolstoy had been more about style and craftsmanship than touring designer boutiques. Like how she began wearing blingy designer trainers. FILTER Showing 20 products Cashmere Folk Fair Isle Jumper $789 $475 If I look at my children, theyre incredibly curious about a lot of things Im not sure their peers would be curious about my oldest son is obsessed with carnivorous plants, and the middle one is making things all the time I think that, somehow, that aesthetic they sort of go hand-in-hand. organisation I was inspired to begin leading trips again, and they start this June. Its a safari-type adventure; we stay in the most beautiful locations. Before this, she was quite the adventurer, having made documentaries with the BBC about her horseback expeditions, and trekking 8,000 kilometres on horse and camel across the Silk Road in 1999. He claims he is being targeted because of his knowledge of state secrets. Within months, Tolstoy and was pregnant with Sergei's child. FILTER Showing 23 products Cashmere Folk Fair Isle Jumper 495 259 Alexandra Tolstoy buying textiles in Bishkek market Tolstoy will donate 20% of the proceeds from her sales to St Gregory's, a charity which helps poor families in St Petersburg. I have a lot of energy. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. I remember the first time I arrived in Paris in jeans and a pair of Ugg boots. It was on that trip that I met my former husband, Shamil Galimzyanov, an Uzbek horseman. Alexandra is cheerfully conversational, and I congratulate her on the release of the recent BBC documentary about her and her husbands complex relationship (The Countess and the Russian Billionaire); its hard not to be compelled by the remarkable situation of her marriage to one of the worlds richest men, and we soon discuss the astonishing details: While living in London with Sergei, the couple became aware of surveillance placed upon them by the Russian state; Sergeis security company found GPS trackers planted under their cars (which were initially suspected to be explosive devices), including the car used exclusively by Alexandra and the children. Wed been educated in very different ways. When I returned to Kyrgyzstan last summer, I felt I had rediscovered myself. Now I embrace embroidery, vintage Fair Isle knitwear from eBay and clothes by the Russian designer Russmotive, which reprints old fabric designs. I was living at Claridges, which is just around the corner from where Colefax & Fowler used to have their antiques shop. But the eventual dramatic unravelling of their liaison was laid bare in a documentary which aired last week on BBC, The Countess and the Russian billionaire. It was amazing. Theres nothing phoney about it I keep it authentic. I went into this whole other world. [5] Originally given permission to stay for six months to study schools,[6] she ultimately stayed in the country for 18 months. , updated 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 We had unusual hanging space in Glebe Place - the huge windows meant there wasnt much wall space but what we did have was a big open wall and needed something on a similar scale. Alexandra Tolstoy Travel 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. For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the Settings & Account section. Sign up for the latest news, offers and styles, Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device, The Tolstoy Edit x SJ Axelby Interior Portraits, choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. I wandered in and fell totally in love with all these amazing antiques.. Last year I had a big sale at home of my own stuff from my oligarch years. Energetic all her life, with a remarkable calmness of spirit, Alexandra Tolstoy lived at the TF Center in Valley Cottage, New York. Tolstoy is alluding to the discomfort which these indulgences eventually came to signify for her, leading her away from her instinctive style and appreciation for tradition towards a struggle to fit in and conform to being the sort of woman Pugachev and his circle expected. 894646. In her judgment jailing him, Mrs Justice Rose noted he does have a genuine fear that his life is in danger from agents of the Russian state. Alexandra Tolstoy was the youngest daughter and 12th of 13 children of Sonya Tolstoy and Count Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, the celebrated Russian author. Once old enough to do his bidding, she served as the right hand of her father, adoring him and making the logistics of his life work. I say how I find so much more satisfaction in accumulating individuals pieces and creating ones own eclectic aesthetic, which she certainly concurs: I totally agree! After nearly 11 years, however, Tolstoy is moving on from the home she has so lovingly put together, and is now offering some of its contents for sale at Christie's. State creditors in Moscow pursued him in the British courts, claiming he embezzled hundreds of millions. Alexandra said: 'It was incredible, he would give me his credit card and I would go shopping, I had a private jet. Since then Tolstoy has launched a number of projects, among them an online pre-loved fashion business and The Tolstoy Edit, an online platform where she shares her style secrets for the worlds of fashion, interiors and travel. Her 1999 trek along the Silk Road by horse and camel is perhaps the most documented. "Decorative, colourful, comfortable, quirky, full of pattern and informal," is how Daniel describes the aesthetic. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy is the daughter of Count Nikolai Tolstoy-Miloslavsky, the current head of the noble House of Tolstoy, distantly related to Leo Tolstoy, and the separated wife of Sergei Pugachev, a Russian oligarch who was once worth $15 billion and was amongst Putins inner circle. It also serves as such a wonderful background any colour works against it., Christies Online Magazine delivers our best features, videos, and auction news to your inbox every week, Of the dedicated Christies online sale she says, I would love these pieces to go to people who really appreciate them and love them. Its the colours, the texture, the natural ageing of it, she enthuses. Subconsciously, I got quite in awe of all those Russian girls in that world. Says Slowik of their relationship, "My first contact with Alexandra was supplying a few antiques but such was our connection that it soon turned to furnishing the whole house at speed to prepare for her return with her first baby. The pinnacle of Tolstoys new fashion life was dressing for Prince Albert of Monacos wedding in July 2011, an occasion which called for two new couture dresses: a yellow Fifties-style Princess Grace look dress by Giambattista Valli for the day ceremony, followed by Valentino for the evening. When writing about the house for House & Garden, our former editor Susan Crewe wrote, 'I would describe Alexandras look as couture ethnic because of her passion for texture, pattern and embroidery, and one look at her Instagram profile will leave you in no doubt that colour plays a vital part in her life.'. Estimate: 2,000-3,000. I wanted it to be really comfortable not to be stilted and too formal. Id only been to France on holiday, I didnt speak Russian and all my friends were on gap years in Thailand and India. [4], In 1921 she became the director of the Tolstoy museum at Yasnaya Polyana. I led them, with Shamil, from Bukhara to Samarkand, and it was a success. I think I first met Daniel two days before giving birth to my first child, she muses. 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. Estimate: 3,000-5,000. Our relationship was wonderful when we were in the wilds, but in the city it was just awful and unhappy. The Tale of Alexandra Tolstoy. [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. Please, She married an Uzbek horseman and rode the length of the Silk Road; lived the oligarch lifestyle with Putins banker; and now leads intrepid group tours of the Stans, A Kyrgyz camp in Naryn region, Kyrgyzstan, Yasnaya Polyana, Leo Tolstoys former redoubt. Offered in Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 4-25 November, Online. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. Stephanie Linning For Mailonline, What REALLY happens on The Chase! She changed my life. She is an adventuress who has travelled the Silk Route by horseback and explored different cultures, uniquely, as host of BBC's Horse People. She says that every day is difficult, and I often dont sleep at night its that philosophy of dust yourself down, and carry on trying I dont ever stop putting myself out there and trying., In the past year, Alexandras rebuilt her travel company, which she founded before the marriage, built a fashion business, which Im told is going well, and been writing for lots of magazines; shes even made amicable progress with the Russian state, and has since returned without threat But it seems to me that her greatest solace in the idyll shes struggled to provide for her children: theyve got this big pond, and a rowing boat, and a little caravan, and a wigwam, and is rescued by the stillness of the country. Its a very visually stimulating religion., A Russian painted pine model of the Trinity Monastry of St. Sergius, c. 1900. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy's Colefax and Fowler interiors are up for sale at Christie's, for Tatler 3rd November 2020 The writer, equestrian and socialite talks to Tatler about the decision to auction off the pieces that made her Chelsea home impossibly chic. Ive entertained in this house a lot, Tolstoy tells Christies during our video shoot at Glebe Place earlier in the year. VASLII BEREZHNOI. Alexandra is passionate about Russia; her lifestyle, home and wardrobe reflect as such. This led to her being gassed and admitted to hospital herself. When I came back, I switched my university course from philosophy to Russian at Edinburgh. She organises adventurous horse riding holidays in Kyrgyzstan, and runs The Tolstoy Edit, a curated shop of her favourite interiors discoveries. After arriving in the UK in 2011, he was accused of siphoning a fortune out of his finance house Mezhprombank. They were symbols of a bad time so it doesnt matter.. After teenage years spent living mostly in one army surplus shirt and a pair of jeans, Tolstoys style horizons were expanded when she began her adventures in Russia, living like a heroine conjured from the imagination of her distant relation, the Nobel Prize-winning author Leo Tolstoy. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month. Shortly before her birth, Leo had almost stopped writing novels . Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, an aristocratic English woman, had her own fairy tale come true when she fell in love with the man of her dreams in 2008, an oligarch and one of Russia's richest. I started the Preloved business originally with the idea of cleansing my own wardrobe, she explains. After visiting Sergei at their chteau in France, where he was physically violent towards her, locked their passports in a safe and smashed her mobile phone, Alexandra managed to return with the children to the UK and now lives between her small country cottage in Oxfordshire and their London townhouse, which she was forced to sell in a deal with the Russian authorities (though thankfully can remain in residence each month until it sells). The largest: 31 in (79 cm) high. Tolstoy also wanted to show support for the small labels she loves to wear now, so theres also a section with exclusive discounts for Alex Gore Brownes knitwear, Pink City Prints Indian-influenced cotton pieces and O Pioneers Laura Ashley-esque dresses. Though Alexandra Tolstoy hadn't her own family she had many relatives in Sweden, France, Soviet Russia and in the United States. Back then, people heard about the trips by word of mouth. But my father encouraged me to read and, as a teenager, I read a lot of Leo Tolstoy Im a relative of the writer as well as Lermontov, Chekhov, Dostoevsky and Turgenev. She was born in Poole, Dorset. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs. She could choose whatever she wanted. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. I commissioned these white sofas to be a base for the many layered cushions that I love and spent many happy hours on them - the perfect spot to retire with friends after a dinner party. I feel were moving to a new phase and thats exciting, she says. [1][2][3], The youngest daughter of Leo Tolstoy (18281910) and of his wife Sophia (18441919), Alexandra was close to her father. I gave 5500 from the proceeds to St Gregorys Foundation, a charity that helps underprivileged children in Russia. 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. This house is a family home, says Alexandra Tolstoy of the beautiful six-bedroom Chelsea residence she converted from two adjacent artists studios. I slightly lost myself thinking [the Pugachev-era clothes] were beautiful and actually its extraordinary how your vision can get warped and distorted. 'I thought I'd just sell a few things but it went quite viral. Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. Discover the magic of fairy tales, Fair Isle and Scottish cashmere in our latest collaboration with explorer, writer, and broadcaster Alexandra Tolstoy. Indeed, after the breakdown of her marriage, it was Sergei himself who began monitoring Alexandra, placing individuals outside her London house every day to intimidate her. 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. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy was known for her remarkable calmness and dignity. Clothing: Ring Smart Home Security Systems eero WiFi Stream 4K Video in Every Room: Blink Smart Security for Every Home Neighbors App Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts Image courtesy of Christies, Tolstoys happy working relationship with Slowik dates back more than a decade. Other pieces currently available on the site include an Oscar de la Renta scallop-edged dress (200), a tweed Celine mini dress (390) and Alaa wool dress (450). Someone who worked for us stole my jewellery and at first I was devastated because it was jewellery that I could sell to look after my children, I just thought this is the end, but actually you know Ive managed to survive and its fine. | Our privacy policy, Website design and operation by Nelson Fernandes Serrao. Everything was paid for and clothes were delivered at home. He appointed her as executor of his will, a task she had to undertake in 1910. I went quite street. He enjoyed a close relatinship with Vladimir Putin, andin 2008 when Sergei's bank hit problems, the Russian state bailed it out with $1 billion loan. Shes kept a few special pieces. 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. In 2009, our rst child was born. I went on to take groups every year between 2002 and 2009, and was leading a tour the week before my wedding. In 2018, I returned after eight years away. 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. He was in a public dispute with Vladimir Putin, so it was dangerous for us to visit Russia for a long time. 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. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. She had - still has - the English Rose looks to match; subtly tanned from hours of outdoor pursuits, rosy cheeks and often wearing her blonde hair in Heidi plaits or tied up with a scarf. It was my friends dream to do it and I hooked onto it. Simon Brown 3/8 I love decorative art - it adds to the layering of a home - and again these were the perfect colours for our home. Simon Brown 2/8 Cushions and textiles add colour to the pale linen-covered sofas. If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. 2023 Getty Images. In Nice, he was visited by the DIA who demanded repayment of the billion dollar loan and threatened his family, saying they could 'cut off his son's finger and send it back to him.'. The author and broadcaster invites us on a brief tour of the London home she created with interior design firm Colefax & Fowler, introducing some of the beautiful and eclectic items now being offered in a special online sale. Oxford Student Publications Limited After the war, she worked on an edition of her father's writings. 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. It took me two years to really look at these things, and think this was really not you and I dont even like these things, she explains, switching in a breath from cheerfully recounting her incredible memories to her voice crackling with the stress and anxiety of rebuilding her life. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy is selling furniture, rugs and personal treasures that decorated the 12million London home she once shared with her Russian billionaire ex. The family moved between an array of properties including a 12million family home in Battersea, a 200-acre country estate in Hertfordshire, and a 40million beachfront villa in St Barts. Alexandra's Russian heritage was also crucial for determining the schemes, and drove much of the eclectic, pattern-filled decoration. The pair soon enlisted Burns help. [4] Although Alexandra shared her father's belief in non-violence, she felt it was her duty to take part in the events of the First World War and served as a nurse on the Turkish and German fronts. Maybe my father could live without church and without God, but we weaker people need something to support us. 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. Tolstoy will donate 20% of the proceeds from her sales to St Gregorys, a charity which helps poor families in St Petersburg. She sent a cheque for 5,500 from her last clear out. 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. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy is the daughter of Count Nikolai Tolstoy-Miloslavsky, the current head of the noble House of Tolstoy, distantly related to Leo Tolstoy, and the separated wife of Sergei Pugachev, a Russian oligarch who was once worth $15 billion and was amongst Putin's inner circle. Where I would usually be wearing some sort of boho embroidered dress before, it just wasnt formal enough, you needed couture. . Now, Alexandra has reclaimed her creative autonomy and a certain intellectual freedom which was repressed during her years spent with the billionaire: We all have different tastes, but if our taste isnt reflecting who we are or where we are in life, that lack of harmony can make you feel not very happy. Her Instagram page has allowed her to present her own image to the world, one which she finds to be truly representative, unlike that of the media which is seemingly always speculating. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. Offered in Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 4-25 November, Online, Their bedroom was like a little world of its own, full of imagination and toys and pictures and books, she says. It was also life-changing: a book deal soon followed, as did a brief marriage to an Uzbek showjumper. There are many treasured items that I sourced and selected over the years with the expert guidance of decorators at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. She pairs this with other traditional Russian symbols such as matryoshkas, or Russian dolls, which represent motherhood and. ", "The paintings of Indian palaces. Following the success of the sale, Tolstoy decided to develop it further, and now sells not only her own wardrobe, but also pieces for other people, curating an edit on her new website, prelovedbyalexandratolstoy.com. Alexandra Tolstoy published many books (" I worked for the Soviets", 1934; " Father. 111K followers. Alexandra Tolstoy Alexandra Tolstoy is an Anglo-Russian mother, adventurer, author and TV presenter. Anne-Jessica Faure, a lawyer for Mr Pugachev, said there has been no court decision establishing financial wrongdoing by him. Check if your Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Since splitting from Pugachev, Tolstoy has been rediscovering not only her sense of adventure, but her true style. We became addicted to travelling in this way. Later, while living and working in Moscow, she met Sergei Pugachev, with whom she would have three children. Scroll down to see Alexandra's favourite lots. [4] Her father having been excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church for his teachings, she commented: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, I don't believe in everything the Orthodox Church says, I don't believe in miracles, but want the people to go to church. Amid it all she has continued to build her collection of vintage pieces from all corners of the globe. Its not even like I was that good at riding, recalls Tolstoy of the nine-month, 5,000-mile journey from Merv in Turkmenistan to Xian in China. She died in 1979, at age 96, and was laid to rest in the Russian cemetery of Spring Valley, New York, USA. You can still enjoy your subscription until the end of your current billing period. They had three children together - Alexei, known as Aliosha, Ivan and Maria. 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. university A year later, they met again at an awards ceremony attended by the Russian president. She picks up the telephone, and I can hear the excited chatter of the children who are going into the sitting room to be read a Just William story by their grandfather. The Russians then accused him of profiting from vast sums of taxpayers' money given to Mezhprombank by the Russian central bank at the height of the 2008 economic crisis. I just called him the baby. By Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. 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