It was so enriching and fabulous.. When he fled to France in 2015, I ultimately felt such relief. The self-described "Anglo-Russian adventurer" has travelled by horse and camel (yes, you read that right) for nine months on the Silk Road across central Asia to China, hosted a BBC TV . 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. 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. Being in that landscape makes your senses alert. I obviously didnt have a very big budget, but when I lived in Russia, there was this amazing flea market on the outskirts of Moscow and I used to go at the weekend and hunt for antiques. 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. After the Silk Road journey, he, a friend and I went to Mongolia with only packhorses. 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. I went on to take groups every year between 2002 and 2009, and was leading a tour the week before my wedding. Were Russian Orthodox, which is why we have a lot of icons, Tolstoy explains. We had an oligarchic lifestyle, and even had a suite on standby at Claridges. We're excited to be offered a peek into the world of Alexandra Tolstoy. Alexandra on horseback in Kyrgyzstan. Alexandra Tolstoy published many books (" I worked for the Soviets", 1934; " Father. Featuring a classic Fair Isle jumper, snood, and mittens, along with this season's most coveted knit; a tank top. 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 men . 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. Riding the length of the Silk Road in 1999, from the . Leo Tolstoy's life", 1953 and others). 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. Alexandra also worked with Emma on her home in Moscow. To say Alexandra Tolstoy has lived a colourful life is somewhat of an understatement. It is not dated and is a little unusual and quirky with the beaded detail. When I was with Sergei, I stopped reading so much of that 19th-century literature which Im so passionate about With the life I live now, emotionally and mentally I can romantically dream and escape whereas then, it was so stultifying., I wonder if, like her fashion sense, her interior design interests were affected during her time with Sergei, as one might imagine they would be, but she says that they werent: Weirdly, the interior decorating never changed I could afford more things, but [Sergei] didnt really give me the opportunity to do very much the taste never changed there at all. But really shes happiest in clothes which reflect her passion for tradition, craft and travel, mixing Hungarian textiles repurposed by Eponine London with Romanian shawls found on Etsy and Broras British knitwear. 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. 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. or It completely goes when you can buy it all and who doesnt love a bargain? Earlier that day, she proudly tells me, shed found wonderful vintage Hungarian fabrics and embroidery to re-use for the childrens little wooden caravan, making curtains: thats just so rewarding. The pair met whilst travelling along the Silk Road on horse in 1999. When do the clocks change in 2023? 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. A year later, they met again at an awards ceremony attended by the Russian president. Were still in touch now. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. 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. university Shes a pin-up for authentic prairie chic. The two are not mutually exclusive. Please, She married an Uzbek horseman and rode the length of the Silk Road; lived the oligarch lifestyle with Putins banker; and now leads intrepid group tours of the Stans, A Kyrgyz camp in Naryn region, Kyrgyzstan, Yasnaya Polyana, Leo Tolstoys former redoubt. Our relationship was wonderful when we were in the wilds, but in the city it was just awful and unhappy. '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. He appointed her as executor of his will, a task she had to undertake in 1910. 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.. Estimate: 2,000-2,500. 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", Having featured Alexandra Tolstoy's Chelsea house in House & Garden two years ago, we now look back at the contents of the house as they go up for sale at Christie's, Everything we know about Frogmore Cottage, Harry and Meghan's former UK home, A light and calm Victorian flat in Belsize Park by Alice Davies, The 7 cringiest home decor trends, according to Youtubers and Tiktokers, An interior designer's Welsh cottage, inventively furnished with second-hand finds, An elegant house in Chelsea layered with soft colour and thoughtfully curated art, Divine inspiration: what churches can teach us about interiors, A Cotswold farmhouse mixes a calm colour palette with flourishes of pattern. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. 11:17 EST 03 Nov 2020. State creditors in Moscow pursued him in the British courts, claiming he embezzled hundreds of millions. I gave 20% of what I made to a charity in St Petersburg for children with autism. organisation 894646. Her travel business leading expeditions through the former Russian empire is on hold at the moment because of coronavirus and she has no help from Pugachev. I felt like Bridget Jones, so awkward. I think I first met Daniel two days before giving birth to my first child, she muses. Verified. 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. 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. A highlight is a 19th-century Russian painted pine model, below, of the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius outside Moscow. She was active as the Foundation's President and served as a fundraiser, a lecturer, and a writer until l976. She has also added a section dedicated to her favourite brands - including Pink City Prints, Pioneers and Alex Gore Browne - offering discounts on each with a special code. 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. 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. , updated 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. Since splitting from Pugachev, Tolstoy has been rediscovering not only her sense of adventure, but her true style. Sign up for the latest news, offers and styles, Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device, The Tolstoy Edit x SJ Axelby Interior Portraits, choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. It was the love story of my life, and it did feel dangerous he was this very powerful person, and he did turn on me sometimes in the early days, but there was this drama of winning him back round; I didnt realise that this was all very dangerous abusive pattern., Alexandra believes Sergei spun a false narrative to malign her and distract from his own culpability for the disastrous failure of his business interests; particularly, Sergei blames his downfall on the fact that Putin supposedly disliked his marriage to a foreigner, which she frustratedly contests: Its a very narcissistic thing to do; he made up this whole narrative [in the documentary] which suited its all about belittling me, and by saying that particularly to his close family it gave them a narrative that it was my fault that everything had gone wrong for him; he blamed it on me, saying that Putin didnt like me. Xander Haveron-Jones talks with Countess Alexandra on cultivating an aesthetic, the liberation of stylistic reinvention, and her infamous billionaire marriage. Brora x Alexandra Tolstoy. When I came back, I switched my university course from philosophy to Russian at Edinburgh. Simon Brown 2/8 Cushions and textiles add colour to the pale linen-covered sofas. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Back then, people heard about the trips by word of mouth. The oligarch fled to France, where he remains, and was sentenced to two years in his absence by a High Court judge in 2016 for breaching court orders relating to hundreds of millions in allegedly stolen cash. 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. However, after allowing White Russians to meet in her Moscow home, she was arrested five times by the Bolsheviks and in 1920 was sent to prison for a year. The auction house expects the lots to make in the region of 250,000. 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. If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. Alexandra worked closely with the London-based interior designers and decorators Emma Burns and Daniel Slowik of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler Interiors from 2008 onwards to create her family home, where she lived for 12 years. 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. Theres nothing phoney about it I keep it authentic. I thought Id just sell a few things but it went quite viral. Wed been educated in very different ways. I slightly lost myself thinking [the Pugachev-era clothes] were beautiful and actually its extraordinary how your vision can get warped and distorted. 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. 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. 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. 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. Alexandra spoke to Jenny Coad. The mansion was purchased by her ex-partner and the father of her children, Sergei Pugachev, 57, who was once dubbed 'the Kremlins banker' and was close to Vladimir Putin but fell into disfavour and was labelled a traitor by the Russian president. The sale runs until November 25 on christies.com. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to But I like nice things and comforts, and I find nothing difficult about camping. In 1934, she authored a book about her life entitled "I Worked for the Soviet" and it was published by Yale University Press. My style reflects my journey. Countess Alexandra Tolstoy. 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. 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. It was shocking how he had absolutely no clue about finances, about running a company; it was shocking basic accounting, he didnt even understand. 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. Alexandra Tolstoy Travel [1][2][3], The youngest daughter of Leo Tolstoy (18281910) and of his wife Sophia (18441919), Alexandra was close to her father. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. Fly to Bishkek with Aeroflot (aeroflot.com). Enjoy browsing and do email us if you have any questions! She organises adventurous horse riding holidays in Kyrgyzstan, and runs The Tolstoy Edit, a curated shop of her favourite interiors discoveries. Where I would usually be wearing some sort of boho embroidered dress before, it just wasnt formal enough, you needed couture. . For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the Settings & Account section. The book details the difficulties she faced living in Russia during and after the revolution. 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). I led them, with Shamil, from Bukhara to Samarkand, and it was a success. Soon after, Tolstoy a distant relative of the novelist Leo Tolstoy called on Slowik, who was then head of the firms antiques department, to transform what she describes as a white shell into an incredible home. 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 sent a cheque for 5,500 from her last clear out. Says Slowik of their relationship, "My first contact with Alexandra was supplying a few antiques but such was our connection that it soon turned to furnishing the whole house at speed to prepare for her return with her first baby. Estimate: 3,000-5,000. The Italian models of buildings in Pisa worked in perfect harmony amongst the photos on this table. She grew up in Oxfordshire before going to Edinburgh University to study philosophy. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. She was born in Poole, Dorset. ", 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. 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. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs. 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! This house is a family home, says Alexandra Tolstoy of the beautiful six-bedroom Chelsea residence she converted from two adjacent artists studios. Back then, people heard about the trips by word of mouth. Estimate: 1,000-2,000. 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. I speak fluent Russian now, but growing up in the UK my mother is very English and we lived in the countryside I didnt feel at all Russian. I did really lose myself in that period and Ive started dressing in a way that just wasnt me. 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