Countess Alexandra Tolstoy was known for her remarkable calmness and dignity. 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. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Each 18 x 14 in (47 x 35.5 cm), framed. FILTER Showing 23 products Cashmere Folk Fair Isle Jumper 495 259 I never failed to fill one. He claims he is being targeted because of his knowledge of state secrets. 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. I just called him the baby. Alexandra Tolstoy was the youngest daughter and 12th of 13 children of Sonya Tolstoy and Count Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, the celebrated Russian author. 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.. In 2018, I returned after eight years away. 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. Offered in Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 4-25 November, Online. Alexandra Tolstoy published many books (" I worked for the Soviets", 1934; " Father. I went quite street. 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. [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. 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). I remember the first time I arrived in Paris in jeans and a pair of Ugg boots. But in 2008, Sergei's bank hit problems and the Russian bank bailed it out with $1 billion loan. There are many treasured items that I sourced and selected over the years with the expert guidance of decorators at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. Discover the magic of fairy tales, Fair Isle and Scottish cashmere in our latest collaboration with explorer, writer, and broadcaster Alexandra Tolstoy. It was on that trip that I met my former husband, Shamil Galimzyanov, an Uzbek horseman. ", "The paintings of Indian palaces. Alexandra Tolstoy, Sigrid Kirk and Isabella Macpherson attend the Molly Goddard presentation during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 at the BFC. 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. 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. Enjoy browsing and do email us if you have any questions! Estimate: 1,000-2,000. Sergei, who left Russia in 2011, claims that relations between him and Putin cooled, due to his relationship with the Russian leader calling him a 'traitor' for dating 'English woman' Alexandra, the Kremlin tried to seize or destroy his business empire. To say Alexandra Tolstoy has lived a colourful life is somewhat of an understatement. Being in these places is, to me, the ultimate luxury. 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. 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). The book details the difficulties she faced living in Russia during and after the revolution. 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. The first time I went to Russia was in 1992, just after the Soviet Union dissolved. She was born in Poole, Dorset. It was my friends dream to do it and I hooked onto it. Alexandra Tolstoy Alexandra Tolstoy is an Anglo-Russian mother, adventurer, author and TV presenter. Theyre just beautiful and Ill pass them on to my daughter. Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. 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. 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. I started the Preloved business originally with the idea of cleansing my own wardrobe, she explains. State creditors in Moscow pursued him in the British courts, claiming he embezzled hundreds of millions. 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. He had been living in France for the past five years after being ordered to give up his passports in 2014. I think I first met Daniel two days before giving birth to my first child, she muses. Energetic all her life, with a remarkable calmness of spirit, Alexandra Tolstoy lived at the TF Center in Valley Cottage, New York. It is not dated and is a little unusual and quirky with the beaded detail. Its the kind of fashion scenario dreams are made of, isnt it? He voiced the crocodile in my childrens favourite Soviet cartoon, Cheburashka, so its like hes in our home. ", "The long Italian table - elegant and non-obtrusive, it was a fantastic background for photographs and pieces of Russian enamel that I had collected. Now I embrace embroidery, vintage Fair Isle knitwear from eBay and clothes by the Russian designer Russmotive, which reprints old fabric designs. 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. For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the Settings & Account section. I slightly lost myself thinking [the Pugachev-era clothes] were beautiful and actually its extraordinary how your vision can get warped and distorted. Estimate: 3,000-5,000. VASLII BEREZHNOI. I felt like Bridget Jones, so awkward. 2023 - All Rights Reserved Amid it all she has continued to build her collection of vintage pieces from all corners of the globe. 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. Check if your A superficial browse of Alexandras delightfully aesthetic Instagram page evokes the traditional rural cottage idyll; her three young children in shorts and little leather shoes reading or playing outside; carrying a roast goose to a carefully-decorated table for supper in a candle-lit dining room; nursing a cup of tea on a rocking chair beside the aga. Shortly afterwards I introduced her to Emma for decoration help with other projects globally and the relationship grew and grew. 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. Check out our alexandra tolstoy selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. I went to Yasnaya Polyana (which means clear glade) Tolstoys former home, which is 125 miles south of Moscow. In 1934, she authored a book about her life entitled "I Worked for the Soviet" and it was published by Yale University Press. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy whose oligarch ex was known as 'Putin's banker' auctions off 250,000 of antiques that decorated her 12million London home before she was evicted after he fell foul. Since the breakdown of her relationship with Sergei Pugachev, who was accused of fraud by the Kremlin in 2015, she has rediscovered her sense of style, favouring pieces that celebrate homegrown traditions and fashions, as evidenced on her popular Instagram account, @alexandratolstoy, where she often documents her wardrobe choices. Featuring a classic Fair Isle jumper, snood, and mittens, along with this season's most coveted knit; a tank top. During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. ", 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. Our relationship was wonderful when we were in the wilds, but in the city it was just awful and unhappy. I was fascinated to know whether, in a contrary sense, this had prepared her and the children for lockdown, as shed already become so accustomed to feeling great isolation, especially in their French chteau, which was sort of isolation anyway. Now I embrace embroidery, vintage Fair Isle knitwear from eBay and clothes by the Russian designer Russmotive, which reprints old fabric designs. We use When I came back, I switched my university course from philosophy to Russian at Edinburgh. Ive entertained in this house a lot, Tolstoy tells Christies during our video shoot at Glebe Place earlier in the year. Throughout my life, all the bad things that have happened have spurred me on. An eclectic selection of furniture and objets dart will also be offered everything from a trio of decorated and painted lidded jars from the mid-19th century to a mid-20th-century English oak and brass desk. Stephanie Linning For Mailonline, What REALLY happens on The Chase! I led them, with Shamil, from Bukhara to Samarkand, and it was a success. Born July 1, 1884 Died September 26, 1979 (95) Add or change photo on IMDbPro Add to list Known for Martin the Cobbler 8.1 Short Narrator (voice) 1977 [8], In the summer of 1948, Tolstaya met 18 year old future United States Senator Mike Gravel, who had intended to volunteer for the Israeli forces in a fight to defend the state of Israel, and she allegedly told him to instead "go on back home and finish school", to which he complied. Alexandra Tolstoy wearing a Dolce & Gabbana dress now listed for 290 on her website Credit: Courtesy of Alexandra Tolstoy 'I wanted to cleanse that whole phase of my life and get back to. After the war, she worked on an edition of her father's writings. 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. 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