Alexandra Tolstoy, Sigrid Kirk and Isabella Macpherson attend the Molly Goddard presentation during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 at the BFC. After arriving in the UK in 2011, he was accused of siphoning a fortune out of his finance house Mezhprombank. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to Its a very visually stimulating religion., A Russian painted pine model of the Trinity Monastry of St. Sergius, c. 1900. Soon after, Tolstoy a distant relative of the novelist Leo Tolstoy called on Slowik, who was then head of the firms antiques department, to transform what she describes as a white shell into an incredible home. 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. Shortly afterwards I introduced her to Emma for decoration help with other projects globally and the relationship grew and grew. Collect, curate and comment on your files. 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 fell so in love with him. I just had to pack my suitcase and I could go.'. 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. I wandered in and fell totally in love with all these amazing antiques.. Being in these places is, to me, the ultimate luxury. 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. Tolstoy has been spending lockdown at her childhood home, posting glorious shots of herself baking cookies in a folkloric dress by Ukrainian designer Vita Kin and perched on the steps of a handpainted gypsy caravan in a dress by German label Horror Vacui, which specialises in delicate, super-feminine florals. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. 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. Though Alexandra Tolstoy hadn't her own family she had many relatives in Sweden, France, Soviet Russia and in the United States. 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. Estimate: 2,000-2,500. offers FT membership to read for free. But its absurd Putin just wouldnt care about that. Having once enjoyed an intensely close friendship, even spending many holidays together, by the time Alexandra met Sergei, he had only seen Putin once, in all those years., Alexandra asks if Ive watched Dirty John on Netflix, and compares theirs to the romance underpinned by the manipulation of the sociopathic significant other: I just find the psychology of being a sociopath or narcissism so fascinating; this creating of narratives that are literally just complete lies, but I think they end up half-believing them She later asks if Ive read And Quiet Flows the Don, saying that the relationship at the beginning is very, very similar; it just feels so full of danger and its very raw, and often angry, but then very passionate to me, it felt really like I was so in love. Reflecting on their marriage, and his moments of physical violence and control over her, she says that there were signs there, but she just didnt know how to read or understand them., I think the real truth was that, yes, he wasnt bowing down to Putin, but he also had a business partner who he was very close to for years, and that business partner left [and it was at this point that Sergei began having business difficulties]; Sergei himself was no kind of businessman. Were Russian Orthodox, which is why we have a lot of icons, Tolstoy explains. | Our privacy policy, Website design and operation by Nelson Fernandes Serrao. Theres nothing phoney about it I keep it authentic. The auction house expects the lots to make in the region of 250,000. Obviously theres her Russian heritage, so we loved the idea of pattern and colour.. Riding the length of the Silk Road in 1999, from the . [2] She is the older sister of Xenia Sackville, Lady Buckhurst. Selling her designer clothes and handbags allowed her to start again, and to be herself. The pair met whilst travelling along the Silk Road on horse in 1999. Alexandra Tolstoy Alexandra Tolstoy is an Anglo-Russian mother, adventurer, author and TV presenter. 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. 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 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. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Alexandras confidence and safety were worn by years of threats and continual surveillance from the Russian authorities, alleged harassment from the British legal system, and, indeed, later by the cruelty and intimidation by her very husband. Leo Tolstoy's life", 1953 and others). [1] [2] [3] Biography [ edit] Shes a pin-up for authentic prairie chic. It is also incredibly practical - it doesnt slip on the wooden floor and my children played on it everyday! Alexandra said: 'The sale of the interiors from my Chelsea townhouse at Christies London marks a new chapter in my life. She died in 1979, at age 96, and was laid to rest in the Russian cemetery of Spring Valley, New York, USA. He appointed her as executor of his will, a task she had to undertake in 1910. As the eldest of author and historian Count Nikolai Tolstoy and his wife Georginas four children, her childhood in the countryside was as wholesome, homespun and Mitfordian U as they come. and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, Like how she began wearing blingy designer trainers. Wardrobes full of couture, endless priceless jewels and never-ending shopping trips. I remember the first time I arrived in Paris in jeans and a pair of Ugg boots. 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. Ive entertained in this house a lot, Tolstoy tells Christies during our video shoot at Glebe Place earlier in the year. It was a therapeutic process. Her life with Pugachev took her away from all that, and transported her into a life where designer trainers were in, collections of Chanel handbags were vast and vintage market buys were out. "The Scottish cupboard lined with striped fabric by Colefax. Theyre really works of art, some things I didnt do totally wrong.. You can still enjoy your subscription until the end of your current billing period. She organises adventurous horse riding holidays in Kyrgyzstan, and runs The Tolstoy Edit, a curated shop of her favourite interiors discoveries. 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.. Throughout my life, all the bad things that have happened have spurred me on. 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 We support credit card, debit card and PayPal payments. Alexandra Tolstoy and "Lucky Diamond" arrives at the fourth annual Paws for Style fundraiser hosted by Animal Fair Magazine May 1, 2003 in New York. Biographies of Teymuraz K. Bagration :::: Tatiana Schaufuss. I suppose that I was not very confident anyway, and I felt I needed to live-up to these very shiny, perfect girls and I was a bit Bridget Jones-like in comparison to them, so felt probably a bit inadequate I shouldve just carried on the way I was I didnt realise, but it accentuated how lost Id become, and it also made me much more dependent on him, so I think he liked it, because it isolated me from my family., She now considers the trappings of her private-jet-chic vulgar, and has since sold almost all that which shes kept, realising bogged down the luxurious tokens of her billionaire lifestyle: The really cathartic moment was last summer I thought I have to sell these ridiculous handbags, I have to sell them because theyre actually quite liquid its money that I can use to pay school fees and I can educate the children I suddenly managed to make myself look at them and think its not really me anyway.. Shop Alexandra TolstoysPreloved edit here, For more news, analysis and advice from The Telegraph's fashion desk,click hereto sign up to get our weekly newsletter, straight to your inbox every Friday. It was definitely not an extravagant mentality, she says. We camp and sometimes people have reservations about that. I went on to take groups every year between 2002 and 2009, and was leading a tour the week before my wedding. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Offered in Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 4-25 November, Online. I gave 5500 from the proceeds to St Gregorys Foundation, a charity that helps underprivileged children in Russia. FILTER Showing 23 products Cashmere Folk Fair Isle Jumper 495 259 Countess Alexandra Tolstoy was known for her remarkable calmness and dignity. I love decorative art - it adds to the layering of a home - and again these were the perfect colours for our home. State creditors in Moscow pursued him in the British courts, claiming he embezzled hundreds of millions. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. Simon Brown 2/8 Cushions and textiles add colour to the pale linen-covered sofas. 894646. 797 following. She changed my life. 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. A set of 12 hand-coloured engravings of botanical specimens, 19th century. But really shes happiest in clothes which reflect her passion for tradition, craft and travel, mixing Hungarian textiles repurposed by Eponine London with Romanian shawls found on Etsy and Broras British knitwear. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Check if your 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. Estimate: 3,000-5,000. During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. Follow Alexandra Tolstoy and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's Alexandra Tolstoy Author Page. The oligarch fled to France, where he remains, and was sentenced to two years in his absence by a High Court judge in 2016 for breaching court orders relating to hundreds of millions in allegedly stolen cash. 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 ", "The paintings of Indian palaces. 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 went to Yasnaya Polyana (which means clear glade) Tolstoys former home, which is 125 miles south of Moscow. Our relationship was wonderful when we were in the wilds, but in the city it was just awful and unhappy. 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. 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