I started Preloved by Alexandra Tolstoy with a friend we sell second-hand designer items via Instagram by doing this huge sale of my own clothes. Some people dont care about aesthetics, but for me, to be creative is really part of my DNA. Alexandra tells me how her appreciation for books and visual arts were completely crushed: I couldnt do anything; the luxury afforded to her nevertheless impeded her fundamental desire to be productive and freedom to explore creatively. 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. I think whats prepared me has been all those adventures I did, like riding the silk road, riding through Mongolia; I went for months when it was pre-mobile phone we had no connection with the world outside When I was eighteen I lived in Moscow for six months and really did nothing but read books and learn Russian. Now free to raise them in a lifestyle similar to that of her own childhood, they wont be familiar with the world of Russian high-society which had caused such anguish for their mother: though it remains that their father, who they havent seen in four years since his escape to France, remains in the top three of the Kremlin hit list. The first time I went to Russia was in 1992, just after the Soviet Union dissolved. Shes kept a few special pieces. It was a therapeutic process. 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.. Subconsciously, I got quite in awe of all those Russian girls in that world. Theyre really works of art, some things I didnt do totally wrong.. I just had to pack my suitcase and I could go.'. It was obvious that Alexandra had a completely new life with a huge staff: cooks, nannies, drivers. Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler selling online at Christie's from 4 25 November, The comments below have not been moderated, By Everything was at her disposal: Private yachts, clothes, no-limit titanium credit cards. My brother is called Dmitri and I wouldnt pronounce his name because I was so embarrassed. I very much hope that these pieces will find a new home and be equally enjoyed.'. [1] [2] [3] Biography [ edit] I was inspired to begin leading trips again, and they start this June. To say Alexandra Tolstoy has lived a colourful life is somewhat of an understatement. 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. Many of them met at the "Aunt Sasha" 90th anniversary in 1974. 111k Followers, 797 Following, 1,514 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from ALEXANDRA TOLSTOY (@alexandratolstoy) alexandratolstoy. She grew up in Oxfordshire before going to Edinburgh University to study philosophy. cookies I led them, with Shamil, from Bukhara to Samarkand, and it was a success. She died in 1979 at age 96. I love this because its on a grand scale but informal and pretty too - I chose antiques that work in modern as well as traditional interiors, and this is a prime example. It was one of the first pieces that I bought and I bought it for practical reasons as well as aesthetic - its great storage! When I returned to Kyrgyzstan last summer, I felt I had rediscovered myself. When I came back, I switched my university course from philosophy to Russian at Edinburgh. 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. There are many treasured items that I sourced and selected over the years with the expert guidance of decorators at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. Amid it all she has continued to build her collection of vintage pieces from all corners of the globe. 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. 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. 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. I felt it was quite symbolic, it was out of Russia that this crazy life had happened and now I was giving something back which felt good., But shes honest that its as much for her own familys welfare that shes doing it, too. 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 It has since been pursuing Sergei Pugachev through the High Court claiming he illegally siphoned hundreds of millions of pounds from the government bailout of the Mezhprombank. I thought I had to be someone else, I thought I had to be like those girls. This week, the contents of the latter are on sale at Christie's as she moves out into a new home (the progress of which we've been avidly following on Instagram). "Decorative, colourful, comfortable, quirky, full of pattern and informal," is how Daniel describes the aesthetic. I slightly lost myself thinking [the Pugachev-era clothes] were beautiful and actually its extraordinary how your vision can get warped and distorted. Before she met Sergei, Alexandra was married to a penniless Cossack named Shamil Galimzyanov. Mr Pugachev denies the allegations and claims Moscow is trying to steal 11billion of his assets, including two shipyards and the world's largest mine. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Alexandra is the eldest of Anglo-Russian historian and writer Nikolai Tolstoy's four children. 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. When I was in Sergeis chteau, he wouldnt really let me do anything anyway. [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 book details the difficulties she faced living in Russia during and after the revolution. Discover Alexandra Tolstoy's favourite pieces and collaboration designs. 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. On the order of the High Court, the family home was put on the market and Alexandra made a deal with the Russian government to drop her claim to his fortune. 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. Sunday February 09 2020, 12.01am GMT, The Sunday Times. 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. Follow Alexandra Tolstoy and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's Alexandra Tolstoy Author Page. The house, which was formed from two artists' studios, was decorated with the help of Daniel Slowik and Emma Burns at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, and was a treasure trove of interesting objects and characterful design. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. By 2015, he was dividing his time between France and the family home in London and claimed to be number 3 on Kremlin's hitlist. This house is a family home, says Alexandra Tolstoy of the beautiful six-bedroom Chelsea residence she converted from two adjacent artists studios. Xander Haveron-Jones talks with Countess Alexandra on cultivating an aesthetic, the liberation of stylistic reinvention, and her infamous billionaire marriage. In 2008 Alexandra met Sergei, then one of Russias most influential men, who had bankrolled the Russian government; but, following Putins eradication of the oligarchy, and the disappearance of a $1 billion loan from the State to his bank which went under a year later, Sergei had to flee Russia in fear of his life, allegedly receiving death threats to himself and their children. But an experience like that opens your mind. The interior and collection speaks not only of her love of the traditional English country house, but also of her Russian family heritage, innate personal sense of style and a strong desire to create a special home for her children. Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. George Smart, A pair of Regency cut-felt collage pictures of The Goose Woman and Old Bright The Postman of Frant, c. 1820. This led to her being gassed and admitted to hospital herself. Alexandra also worked with Emma on her home in Moscow. Discover the magic of fairy tales, Fair Isle and Scottish cashmere in our latest collaboration with explorer, writer, and broadcaster Alexandra Tolstoy. Collect, curate and comment on your files. 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. The smaller two: 19 in (48 cm) and 24 in (61 cm) high. Alexandra's Russian heritage was also crucial for determining the schemes, and drove much of the eclectic, pattern-filled decoration. He had been living in France for the past five years after being ordered to give up his passports in 2014. 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We are no longer accepting comments on this article. It is true that every book changes you. Alexandra Tolstoy was the youngest daughter and 12th of 13 children of Sonya Tolstoy and Count Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, the celebrated Russian author. [7], In 1931 she left Japan and settled in the United States, where she gave lectures and worked as a chicken farmer. I went on to take groups every year between 2002 and 2009, and was leading a tour the week before my wedding. After arriving in the UK in 2011, he was accused of siphoning a fortune out of his finance house Mezhprombank. The two are not mutually exclusive. 11:17 EST 03 Nov 2020. Though Alexandra Tolstoy hadn't her own family she had many relatives in Sweden, France, Soviet Russia and in the United States. He appointed her as executor of his will, a task she had to undertake in 1910. Alexandra Tolstoy's Instagram: @alexandratolstoy Simon Brown 1/8 Two rows of botanical prints and antique celadon vases on plinths help to break up the height of this lofty, light-filled space on the first floor. 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. 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. 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. 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