Personally, Roman, I think footballers are overated,Roman… compared to a Gaugin or a Picasso…
Roman Abramovich’s new set of living cufflinks in Daria Dasha Zhukova, does not seem to have a lot to say for herself in what is supposedly her uber-cool LA drawl. She once gave a Maria Antoinette party at the Grosvenor House and spent the whole evening chain smoking with friends from a balcony and not talking to anyone. Last month she gave another party in a converted bus depot in Moscow which she plans to turn into the Center for Contemporay Culture Moscow, which rather unoriginally translates as Garage.
Russian she may be but having been brought up her molecular biologist mother in California, little Dasha has an American take on a party. Guests had to pay their own fares and hotels for their tickets. But then Dasha needed somewhere to show her £17m Lucian Freud and £43.6m Bacon, other art nick nacks and it was here that Amy Winehouse was dragged out of the Monarch in Camden Town to be flown for a little soulful warbling for another £1million and returned for more rehab. Some say she is shy, some say she is private, some say the body language with Abramovich is poor, some say they will marry in October. One thing is for sure, their world is a state secret. Abramovich does not mix with her set.
When she does talk it tends to be in clichés:
“I want to start a dialogue with a Russian audience,”
“We hope to attract all kinds of people, even those who know nothing about contemporary art.”
But she moves in the most noted of circles – dinner with Stella McCartney, a tempestuous on off relationship with the tennis player Marat Safin, pals with Princess Caroline of Monaco’s children, British aristos Sophia Hesketh and Ed Spencer Churchill.
And she is no airhead. She has a degree, albeit in alternative therapies. Her fledgling fashion line, Kova & T’s PVC tights became an overnight fashion hit. Currently the style store in Moscow and her other projects involve a team of more than 70. And through the fashion pages and contexts she has a boutique list of clients for her clothes, which are often punkily T shirts and jeans only.
And she is acclimatised to the heady world of Russian oligarchy. Daddy Alexander is almost as rich as Abramovich and the same age, although those who have met the 26 year old say she could pass for 10 years older. Abramovich is 42.
She moves a lot - Moscow, Paris, New York, the south of France and reputedly was introduced to Abramovich at the Barcelona v Chelsea game which coincided with Jose Mourinho’s and others paranoia about the owner no longer coming to football matches for a while. Answer : he was in his helicopter with Daria and his dascha with Dasha.
And she has a certain Tsarina’s demeanour…but then paying off his last wife cost more than $1billion, so maybe he is no rush, this time.
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This could be a defining moment in the Premier League this weekend. Arsenal host Aston Villa and where the kids were in fine form in the week and last week’s epically entertaining game against Manchester United showed the best of them. But Villa are capable and capable of scoring goals, so they could get a surprise. Equally Bolton won at Hull last week - mainly thanks to their goalkeeper admittedly - but and with Jussi Jaaskelainen still there Liverpool have to find a way past. Manchester United’s vaunted front men were firing blanks mostly against QPR and Stoke may be better opposition which sort of says it is another stutter or a slaughter. The only one of the top four sides that look like a banker are Chelsea at West Brom. Have a triple on Liverpool and Arsenal to lose and United to draw and £1 pays £336. Bet the other way on the top four all to win and £1 pays £3.50. Get a free £10 bet here
Bet Chelsea