I started the Preloved business originally with the idea of cleansing my own wardrobe, she explains. 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 After visiting Sergei at their chteau in France, where he was physically violent towards her, locked their passports in a safe and smashed her mobile phone, Alexandra managed to return with the children to the UK and now lives between her small country cottage in Oxfordshire and their London townhouse, which she was forced to sell in a deal with the Russian authorities (though thankfully can remain in residence each month until it sells). The smaller two: 19 in (48 cm) and 24 in (61 cm) high. 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. 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 My mother comes from a big family of seven and they made all their own clothes, bread and yoghurt. Ive entertained in this house a lot, Tolstoy tells Christies during our video shoot at Glebe Place earlier in the year. Shortly before her birth, Leo had almost stopped writing novels . We had an oligarchic lifestyle, and even had a suite on standby at Claridges. Estimate: 2,000-2,500. 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! 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. By 2015, he was dividing his time between France and the family home in London and claimed to be number 3 on Kremlin's hitlist. "The Scottish cupboard lined with striped fabric by Colefax. 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. Anne-Jessica Faure, a lawyer for Mr Pugachev, said there has been no court decision establishing financial wrongdoing by him. Alexandra spoke to Jenny Coad. 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.. Search instead in. Together, in 1939 they founded the Tolstoy Foundation.[4]. 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. Many of them met at the "Aunt Sasha" 90th anniversary in 1974. 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. Each 18 x 14 in (47 x 35.5 cm), framed. I wanted it to be really comfortable not to be stilted and too formal. Amid it all she has continued to build her collection of vintage pieces from all corners of the globe. We're excited to be offered a peek into the world of Alexandra Tolstoy. It took me two years to really look at these things, and think this was really not you and I dont even like these things, she explains, switching in a breath from cheerfully recounting her incredible memories to her voice crackling with the stress and anxiety of rebuilding her life. She changed my life. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. Since splitting from Pugachev, Tolstoy has been rediscovering not only her sense of adventure, but her true style. 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 remember the first time I arrived in Paris in jeans and a pair of Ugg boots. Please, The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. 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. It is true that every book changes you. Alexandra is passionate about Russia; her lifestyle, home and wardrobe reflect as such. Within months, Tolstoy and was pregnant with Sergei's child. I was inspired to begin leading trips again, and they start this June. analyse how our Sites are used. 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. I have a lot of energy. A year later, they met again at an awards ceremony attended by the Russian president. 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. The industry is completely different now. Alexandra is the eldest of Anglo-Russian historian and writer Nikolai Tolstoy's four children. 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). 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. Being in these places is, to me, the ultimate luxury. Alexandra Tolstoy published many books (" I worked for the Soviets", 1934; " Father. My style reflects my journey. One such piece is a Dolce & Gabbana star print dress (290, pictured up top), which she wore during a trip to Monaco in 2011, the same year she attended the wedding of Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock there. 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. The two are not mutually exclusive. She sent a cheque for 5,500 from her last clear out. 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. offers FT membership to read for free. and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, Offered in Alexandra Tolstoy: An Interior by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 4-25 November, Online. 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. In 1901, at the age of seventeen, she became his secretary. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. She died in 1979, at age 96, and was laid to rest in the Russian cemetery of Spring Valley, New York, USA. We became addicted to travelling in this way. 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. He voiced the crocodile in my childrens favourite Soviet cartoon, Cheburashka, so its like hes in our home. Tolstoy has also partnered with Ampersand Travel to curate boutique tours of Russia, and garnered a loyal following across her trio of Instagram accounts. Registered in England No. Theyre just beautiful and Ill pass them on to my daughter. 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. 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. Verified. Everything was at her disposal: Private yachts, clothes, no-limit titanium credit cards. The largest: 31 in (79 cm) high. I very much hope that these pieces will find a new home and be equally enjoyed.'. When I returned to Kyrgyzstan last summer, I felt I had rediscovered myself. 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. 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