[1] [2] [3] Biography [ edit] If I look at my children, theyre incredibly curious about a lot of things Im not sure their peers would be curious about my oldest son is obsessed with carnivorous plants, and the middle one is making things all the time I think that, somehow, that aesthetic they sort of go hand-in-hand. 'It was a great pleasure to be able to fully utilise such a diverse and highly personal selection of works of art, furniture and objects in a family home but also to be surrounded by objects that I took great huge pleasure from every day. I never failed to fill one. [1][2][3], The youngest daughter of Leo Tolstoy (18281910) and of his wife Sophia (18441919), Alexandra was close to her father. I telephone Alexandra on a sunny afternoon during lockdown, which she is spending at her parents house with the children; suffering from asthma, she thinks it safer to be with other adults, just in case. If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. He was in a public dispute with Vladimir Putin, so it was dangerous for us to visit Russia for a long time. Alexandra is passionate about Russia; her lifestyle, home and wardrobe reflect as such. By Marisa Remond Published Feb 17 2019. A set of 12 hand-coloured engravings of botanical specimens, 19th century. He has previously been declared to be in contempt of court, with a two-year prison sentence left hanging over his head should he return to this country. I thought Id just sell a few things but it went quite viral. 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. Now I embrace embroidery, vintage Fair Isle knitwear from eBay and clothes by the Russian designer Russmotive, which reprints old fabric designs. Simon Brown 2/8 Cushions and textiles add colour to the pale linen-covered sofas. Xander Haveron-Jones talks with Countess Alexandra on cultivating an aesthetic, the liberation of stylistic reinvention, and her infamous billionaire marriage. 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. 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. 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. 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. Alexandra is the eldest of Anglo-Russian historian and writer Nikolai Tolstoy's four children. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. My mother comes from a big family of seven and they made all their own clothes, bread and yoghurt. Its the colours, the texture, the natural ageing of it, she enthuses. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. A year later, they met again at an awards ceremony attended by the Russian president. For her almost 50,000 Instagram followers (@alexandratolstoy), these memories of oligarch-style trophy buys will be impossible to conflate with the idyllic look she now encapsulates. 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. Shortly afterwards I introduced her to Emma for decoration help with other projects globally and the relationship grew and grew. 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). | Our privacy policy, Website design and operation by Nelson Fernandes Serrao. Though Alexandra Tolstoy hadn't her own family she had many relatives in Sweden, France, Soviet Russia and in the United States. Check if your Sergei, who left Russia in 2011, claims that after relations between him and Putin cooled, the Kremlin tried to seize or destroy his business empire. My brother is called Dmitri and I wouldnt pronounce his name because I was so embarrassed. 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. 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. ", "The long Italian table - elegant and non-obtrusive, it was a fantastic background for photographs and pieces of Russian enamel that I had collected. 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. I love decorative art - it adds to the layering of a home - and again these were the perfect colours for our home. Alexandra Tolstaya Countess Alexandra ( Sasha) Lvovna Tolstaya ( Russian: ; 18 June 1884 - 26 September 1979), often anglicized to Tolstoy, was the youngest daughter and secretary of the noted Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. 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. He got a prison sentence in the UK so he wont come back. It is not dated and is a little unusual and quirky with the beaded detail. 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. She grew up in Oxfordshire before going to Edinburgh University to study philosophy. It was so enriching and fabulous.. FILTER Showing 20 products Cashmere Folk Fair Isle Jumper $789 $475 When I came back, I switched my university course from philosophy to Russian at Edinburgh. 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 Countess Alexandra Tolstoy. But it wasnt really me. Discover Alexandra Tolstoy's favourite pieces and collaboration designs. It was a therapeutic process. Its a safari-type adventure; we stay in the most beautiful locations. 111K followers. analyse how our Sites are used. 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. Within months, Tolstoy and was pregnant with Sergei's child. Alexandra is cheerfully conversational, and I congratulate her on the release of the recent BBC documentary about her and her husbands complex relationship (The Countess and the Russian Billionaire); its hard not to be compelled by the remarkable situation of her marriage to one of the worlds richest men, and we soon discuss the astonishing details: While living in London with Sergei, the couple became aware of surveillance placed upon them by the Russian state; Sergeis security company found GPS trackers planted under their cars (which were initially suspected to be explosive devices), including the car used exclusively by Alexandra and the children. Follow Alexandra Tolstoy and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's Alexandra Tolstoy Author Page. I led them, with Shamil, from Bukhara to Samarkand, and it was a success. In 1901, at the age of seventeen, she became his secretary. 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. 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. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy was known for her remarkable calmness and dignity. Reading Russian literature gave me a greater understanding of the Russian character. 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. Tolstoy will donate 20% of the proceeds from her sales to St Gregorys, a charity which helps poor families in St Petersburg. This led to her being gassed and admitted to hospital herself. I met the father of my three children, Sergei Pugachev, a banker formerly in Putins inner circle, in 2009. Authorities froze his assets, put him on Interpol's wanted list and obtained a court order in Britain forcing him to hand over his passports. She could choose whatever she wanted. It felt great to be giving something back to Russia and also like I was shedding a skin and really embarking back on my old and true path through life.. 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. 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. Like a haven from the outside world.. It was also life-changing: a book deal soon followed, as did a brief marriage to an Uzbek showjumper. I never failed to fill one. She died in 1979 at age 96. It was amazing. He appointed her as executor of his will, a task she had to undertake in 1910. 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 I gave 20% of what I made to a charity in St Petersburg for children with autism. Featuring a classic Fair Isle jumper, snood, and mittens, along with this season's most coveted knit; a tank top. 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). 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. Throughout my life, all the bad things that have happened have spurred me on. A highlight is a 19th-century Russian painted pine model, below, of the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius outside Moscow. One womans confidence-shaking luxury purchases are anothers treasure. Amid it all she has continued to build her collection of vintage pieces from all corners of the globe. 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. Her 1999 trek along the Silk Road by horse and camel is perhaps the most documented. 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. 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