Its a safari-type adventure; we stay in the most beautiful locations. I think its very important that your house reflects who you are., The Drawing Room at Glebe Place, with interior created by Alexandra Tolstoy and Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. 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. "Decorative, colourful, comfortable, quirky, full of pattern and informal," is how Daniel describes the aesthetic. We use 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. I met the father of my three children, Sergei Pugachev, a banker formerly in Putins inner circle, in 2009. 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. She pairs this with other traditional Russian symbols such as matryoshkas, or Russian dolls, which represent motherhood and. Throughout my life, all the bad things that have happened have spurred me on. Among Alexandra's favourite pieces are a pair of white upholstered sofas by Katherine Pooley, which are expected to fetch between4,000-6,000, and two pairs of 20th century Indian palace paintings which are expected to fetch1,000-2,000 a pair. 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. 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 Its a very visually stimulating religion., A Russian painted pine model of the Trinity Monastry of St. Sergius, c. 1900. George Smart, A pair of Regency cut-felt collage pictures of The Goose Woman and Old Bright The Postman of Frant, c. 1820. The broadcaster, author and businesswoman Alexandra Tolstoy has beautiful taste in interiors - here at House & Garden we've featured her fairytale cottage in Oxfordshire as well as her Chelsea house.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). Its so original and different. Tolstoy first met Sergei, then a Russian senator and trusted friend of Putin who had separated from his wife, when asked to give him English lessons while she was living in Moscow with Galimzyanov. 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. Maybe my father could live without church and without God, but we weaker people need something to support us. Showing Editorial results for alexandra tolstoy. The tycoon is in another legal battle with Russia in The Hague where he is suing the Federation for 11billion. 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. Simon Brown 2/8 Cushions and textiles add colour to the pale linen-covered sofas. Wed been educated in very different ways. 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. 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. In 1901, at the age of seventeen, she became his secretary. 1,514 posts. FILTER Showing 20 products Cashmere Folk Fair Isle Jumper $789 $475 Sergei 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. 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. Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. She sent a cheque for 5,500 from her last clear out. Alexandra is the eldest of Anglo-Russian historian and writer Nikolai Tolstoy's four children. It was a therapeutic process. The two are not mutually exclusive. In 2009, our rst child was born. 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. 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. 11:17 EST 03 Nov 2020. It is not dated and is a little unusual and quirky with the beaded detail. Sunday February 09 2020, 12.01am GMT, The Sunday Times. 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. It was my friends dream to do it and I hooked onto it. I went on to take groups every year between 2002 and 2009, and was leading a tour the week before my wedding. [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. 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. Offered in Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 4-25 November, Online. 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. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. One womans confidence-shaking luxury purchases are anothers treasure. Offered in Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 4-25 November, Online, If you have that rapport and that friendship, you can understand the living space, says Slowik. In 2018, I returned after eight years away. 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. 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. ", 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. When do the clocks change in 2023? Having momentarily enjoyed the luxuries of a billionaire lifestyle, shes now entirely without financial support from Sergei, retains no luxuries from their marriage, and has sold all of the designer clothes, bags and shoes shed once owned: but she says shes all the happier because of it. In 1934, she authored a book about her life entitled "I Worked for the Soviet" and it was published by Yale University Press. Within a year of meeting, they had a baby and another on the way, and were living a life of luxury in London, Moscow and Paris. For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here. He was in a public dispute with Vladimir Putin, so it was dangerous for us to visit Russia for a long time. She died in 1979 at age 96. 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. This house is a family home, says Alexandra Tolstoy of the beautiful six-bedroom Chelsea residence she converted from two adjacent artists studios. She organises adventurous horse riding holidays in Kyrgyzstan, and runs The Tolstoy Edit, a curated shop of her favourite interiors discoveries. The book details the difficulties she faced living in Russia during and after the revolution. The next year, I took a trip to Kyrgyzstan, which is better suited to riding because its mountainous and beautiful, and the horses are wonderful. Tolstaya became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1941, abandoning the use of the title of countess. 2023 - All Rights Reserved I feel were moving to a new phase and thats exciting, she says. I gave 20% of what I made to a charity in St Petersburg for children with autism. We had an oligarchic lifestyle, and even had a suite on standby at Claridges. Simon Brown 3/8 Obviously theres her Russian heritage, so we loved the idea of pattern and colour.. Estimate: 2,000-3,000. I never failed to fill one. By 2015, he was dividing his time between France and the family home in London and reputed to be number 3 on Kremlin's hitlist. Each 18 x 14 in (47 x 35.5 cm), framed. She spent her gap year in Russia. 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. My mother comes from a big family of seven and they made all their own clothes, bread and yoghurt. Tolstoy will donate 20% of the proceeds from her sales to St Gregorys, a charity which helps poor families in St Petersburg. Check out our alexandra tolstoy selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. The broadcaster, author and businesswoman Alexandra Tolstoy has beautiful taste in interiors - here at House & Garden we've featured her fairytale cottage in Oxfordshire as well as her Chelsea house. 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. And when youre in an abusive relationship like that it makes you completely and utterly lose your confidence, you dont even realise its happening. A set of 12 hand-coloured engravings of botanical specimens, 19th century. At The Tolstoy Edit, we are happy to share with you our favourite finds for the home; antiques, as well as occasional newer pieces, curated by Alexandra Tolstoy, the adventurer and writer. [4], In 1921 she became the director of the Tolstoy museum at Yasnaya Polyana. Before she met Sergei, Alexandra was married to a penniless Cossack named Shamil Galimzyanov. Like a haven from the outside world.. Their gilded life of globe trotting with a small army of staff evaporates as Pugachev falls out of favour with Putin, eventually holing up at his chateau in the South of France with Tolstoy and their three children, Aliosha, Ivan, and Maria, left to fend for themselves. 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. 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. In the February 2016 High Court judgment, no ruling was made on the allegations of embezzled cash and Pugachev told the court he had not stolen any money. It was lecturing about this trip at the Royal Geographical Society in London that first got me into leading tours. Alexandra Tolstoy, Sigrid Kirk and Isabella Macpherson attend the Molly Goddard presentation during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 at the BFC. 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. Collect, curate and comment on your files. It was one of the first pieces that I bought and I bought it for practical reasons as well as aesthetic - its great storage! Contestant shares behind the scenes secrets from the hit quiz show - revealing there's NO studio audience and how the Chaser's identity is kept secret, The ultimate pre-lockdown to-do list! I lived with a Russian family in Moscow the father was an actor. My mother was amazing, she made me all these Laura Ashley things which were very special and my aunts knitted Fair Isle jumpers. It was also life-changing: a book deal soon followed, as did a brief marriage to an Uzbek showjumper. My brother is called Dmitri and I wouldnt pronounce his name because I was so embarrassed. 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). 2023 Getty Images. 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. Until then, dressing up for Tolstoy had been more about style and craftsmanship than touring designer boutiques. 10:55 EST 03 Nov 2020 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). 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. 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. Wearing Alex Gore Browne knitwear Alexandra Tolstoy 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. We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. Alexandra Tolstoy Travel 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. ", "The long Italian table - elegant and non-obtrusive, it was a fantastic background for photographs and pieces of Russian enamel that I had collected. Anglo-Russian historian and writer Nikolai Tolstoy 's four children, she became his secretary 's four children is. Father was an actor 2018, I returned after eight years away, so we loved the idea of and... 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