Now she still has use of their home in Chelsea, a converted artist studio, but she could be thrown out at any moment by the Russian government. 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 Its the reason shes been selling off many of the fashion relics of her old life, first with a sale at her Chelsea home, and now with a newly launched website where her own cast-offs will be sold alongside those of other stylish women including stylist Martha Ward and creative director and store owner, Alex Eagle. 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. Estimate: 2,000-2,500. Its complete freedom. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy. [2] She is the older sister of Xenia Sackville, Lady Buckhurst. It is not dated and is a little unusual and quirky with the beaded detail. Discover Alexandra Tolstoy's favourite pieces and collaboration designs. 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. 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. A highlight is a 19th-century Russian painted pine model, below, of the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius outside Moscow. Being in that landscape makes your senses alert. It was lecturing about this trip at the Royal Geographical Society in London that first got me into leading tours. 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. 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. Leo Tolstoy with his daughter Alexandra Lvovna Tolstaya But even more interesting to me is the life of his youngest surviving daughter Alexandra Tolstaya (1884-1979). Indeed, she has attracted such a sartorial following that last year, when she decided to sell some of the pieces from her former life, the interest was sizeable, prompting the Countess to launch a new online pre-loved fashion business, Preloved by Alexandra Tolstoy. or But I will never go to France. Simon Brown 3/8 Countess Alexandra Tolstoy is selling furniture, rugs and personal treasures that decorated the 12million London home she once shared with her Russian billionaire ex. Last year I had a big sale at home of my own stuff from my oligarch years. I have great synergy with Emma so as a three we were prefect. You can still enjoy your subscription until the end of your current billing period. Wed been educated in very different ways. 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. He claims he is being targeted because of his knowledge of state secrets. If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. Alexandra said: 'The sale of the interiors from my Chelsea townhouse at Christies London marks a new chapter in my life. [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. Alexandra said: 'It was incredible, he would give me his credit card and I would go shopping, I had a private jet. This led to her being gassed and admitted to hospital herself. Alexandra Tolstoy published many books (" I worked for the Soviets", 1934; " Father. 2023 - All Rights Reserved Biographies of Teymuraz K. Bagration :::: Tatiana Schaufuss. 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. Before she met Sergei, Alexandra was married to a penniless Cossack named Shamil Galimzyanov. I started the Preloved business originally with the idea of cleansing my own wardrobe, she explains. 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. 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. I met the father of my three children, Sergei Pugachev, a banker formerly in Putins inner circle, in 2009. FILTER Showing 23 products Cashmere Folk Fair Isle Jumper 495 259 I thought I had to be someone else, I thought I had to be like those girls. Enjoy browsing and do email us if you have any questions! 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. 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. Within months, Tolstoy and was pregnant with Sergei's child. Many of them met at the "Aunt Sasha" 90th anniversary in 1974. At the time of writing, there are dresses and jewellery by Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci shoes, Saint Laurent trainers, Hermes scarves and Valentino jackets available to buy. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. I slightly lost myself thinking [the Pugachev-era clothes] were beautiful and actually its extraordinary how your vision can get warped and distorted. 11:17 EST 03 Nov 2020. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. 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. 2023 Getty Images. The sale runs until November 25 on christies.com. To say Alexandra Tolstoy has lived a colourful life is somewhat of an understatement. 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. Showing Editorial results for alexandra tolstoy. I felt like Bridget Jones, so awkward. Throughout my life, all the bad things that have happened have spurred me on. Discover Alexandra Tolstoy's favourite pieces and collaboration designs. Its the kind of fashion scenario dreams are made of, isnt it? Its the colours, the texture, the natural ageing of it, she enthuses. I gave 20% of what I made to a charity in St Petersburg for children with autism. Talking about her pursuit of an exquisitely domestic lifestyle, Alexandra says that its not just aesthetic, it does also go with a kind of freedom of thought, doesnt it? When I returned to Kyrgyzstan last summer, I felt I had rediscovered myself. [4], In 1921 she became the director of the Tolstoy museum at Yasnaya Polyana. After the Silk Road journey, he, a friend and I went to Mongolia with only packhorses. They had three children together - Alexei, known as Aliosha, Ivan and Maria. Alexandra spoke to Jenny Coad. 111k Followers, 797 Following, 1,514 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from ALEXANDRA TOLSTOY (@alexandratolstoy) alexandratolstoy. I lived with a Russian family in Moscow the father was an actor. Like a haven from the outside world.. I led them, with Shamil, from Bukhara to Samarkand, and it was a success. Alexandra Tolstoy Alexandra Tolstoy is an Anglo-Russian mother, adventurer, author and TV presenter. We camp and sometimes people have reservations about that. Inside the sad decline of 'Fairy Floss Girl': How the racegoer who shot to fame when Kyle Sandilands gushed that Waleed Aly and Sarah Harris issue a grovelling apology on The Project after backlash for laughing along with Man dies 'after being shot at home': Police Scotland hunt 'gunman' as they appeal for information. 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. 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. I wanted it to be really comfortable not to be stilted and too formal. Tolstoy will donate 20% of the proceeds from her sales to St Gregorys, a charity which helps poor families in St Petersburg. 797 following. 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. Tolstoy is the daughter of Count Nikolai Tolstoy and Georgina Brown. Now I embrace embroidery, vintage Fair Isle knitwear from eBay and clothes by the Russian designer Russmotive, which reprints old fabric designs. I remember having a fantasy about feeding the chickens and I would be wearing something really, really pretty.. The couple met in 2008 after Sergei hired Alexandra to help improve his English while they were both living in Russia, where Sergei was once-close friends with Putin. 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. She spent her gap year in Russia. 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. 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. Student journalism does not come cheap. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy was known for her remarkable calmness and dignity. 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. There are many treasured items that I sourced and selected over the years with the expert guidance of decorators at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. Royal Geographical Society in London that first got me into leading tours. But an experience like that opens your mind. Like how she began wearing blingy designer trainers. 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