Alexandra Zagalsky

Alexandra Zagalsky is a London-based journalist specializing in luxury topics, art and travel content. She began her journalistic career in Paris, where she worked on a cultural guide for English-speaking expats. Her first big break was an interview with Lionel Poilâne, the late, venerable baker from Paris’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés district who popularized the two-kilogram sourdough loaf and once made a bread chandelier for Salvador Dalí.

Zagalsky moved back to London in her early 20s and has since worked with a number of august publications, including the Week, the Telegraph, the Times and a variety of art and design outlets, such as Introspective and V&A, Sotheby’s and Christie’s magazines. She studied fine art and the history of art at Goldsmiths, University of London, and continues to explore the contemporary art scene, including the world of NFTs.

She has written extensively on the subject of vintage watches and describes the Cartier Crash as her favorite timepiece. “It’s a great emblem of the Swinging Sixties and an adaptation of the house’s classic Baignoire Allongée wristwatch, its sinuous Daliesque style apparently inspired by a model brought into the London Cartier workshop that had been distorted in a car crash,” she says. “I love it for all sorts of reasons, not least because it’s so unconventional and daring, as all great design objects often are.”

Find out more about Zagalsky’s work on Linkedin.

Explore a Century of Gucci Fashion in London

Explore a Century of Gucci Fashion in London

The iconic Italian label’s traveling exhibition has just arrived in London.
Photographer to Know: Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Photographer to Know: Jeannette Montgomery Barron

Her stunning portraits of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol and other artists chronicle a crucial chapter of New York’s cultural history.
This Chic Abstract Bracelet Is by the Father of Modernist Jewelry

This Chic Abstract Bracelet Is by the Father of Modernist Jewelry

Mid-20th-century designer Andrew Grima upended tradition with his avant-garde aesthetic.
A Giant Wedding Cake Has Us Looking at Portuguese Tiles in a New Light

A Giant Wedding Cake Has Us Looking at Portuguese Tiles in a New Light

At Waddesdon Manor, artist Joana Vasconcelos has installed a three-tiered patisserie inspired by the narrative tile work of her homeland. We take a look at the cake sculpture and how Portuguese tiles have been used in architecture from the 17th century to today.
This Piaget Gold Nugget Watch Is the Embodiment of Delicious ’70s Excess

This Piaget Gold Nugget Watch Is the Embodiment of Delicious ’70s Excess

With a tigereye dial and a most unusual bracelet, this cuff-style piece is a singular style statement.
These Canine Portraits Show We’re as Devoted to Dogs as They Are to Us

These Canine Portraits Show We’re as Devoted to Dogs as They Are to Us

A pair of exhibitions at London’s Wallace Collection explore representations of our furry friends through history, from Roman hounds to royal corgis.
Photographers to Know: E2 – Kleinveld & Julien

Photographers to Know: E2 – Kleinveld & Julien

With elaborate staging and meticulous postproduction techniques, the subversive duo is reimagining art history.
Tom Price Sculpted One of These Benches from Resin, the Other from Coal

Tom Price Sculpted One of These Benches from Resin, the Other from Coal

Part art, part seating, they offer a fascinating meditation on life’s dualities.
Photographer to Know: William Klein

Photographer to Know: William Klein

The noted lensman brought a bold sense of irony to fashion photography in the 1950s and '60s, transforming the industry. But his work in street photography, documentary filmmaking and abstract art is just as striking.
Made for 1930s Polo Players, This Art Deco Watch Looks Good on Everyone

Made for 1930s Polo Players, This Art Deco Watch Looks Good on Everyone

The sleek, perfectly proportioned Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso captures the spirit of an era defined by forward-looking design and technological innovation.
Audemars Piguet’s Iconic Royal Oak Watch Turns 50

Audemars Piguet’s Iconic Royal Oak Watch Turns 50

As the watch world celebrates one of fine timekeeping’s most disruptive designs, AP archivist Sébastian Vivas tells tales from the piece’s storied history.
Chris Levine’s Portrait of a Shut-Eyed Queen Elizabeth Sparkles with Crystals

Chris Levine’s Portrait of a Shut-Eyed Queen Elizabeth Sparkles with Crystals

Celebrate the queen's Platinum Jubilee with a glittering, Pop-art version of the most famous and thought-provoking photo of Her Royal Majesty.
Get a Glimpse at One of the Most Valuable Watch Collections in the World

Get a Glimpse at One of the Most Valuable Watch Collections in the World

As the cache goes on display at London’s Design Museum, we speak to its enigmatic owner about some of his rarest acquisitions.
Celebrate Spring Year-Round with This Lush Murano-Glass Chandelier

Celebrate Spring Year-Round with This Lush Murano-Glass Chandelier

Hand-blown glass makes the Italian fixture glow like dew-covered leaves in the sun.
Tauba Auerbach’s Geometric Pop-Up Book Is Mighty Rare, Thanks to a Hurricane

Tauba Auerbach’s Geometric Pop-Up Book Is Mighty Rare, Thanks to a Hurricane

This sculptural art book has an epic backstory of its own.
An Inspiring Collage by Self-Taught Miami Artist Purvis Young

An Inspiring Collage by Self-Taught Miami Artist Purvis Young

In 1995, the artist embellished a found poster of Martin Luther King with visionary markings.
This Shelving System with Oxidized Brass Tubes Is Retro and Futuristic at Once

This Shelving System with Oxidized Brass Tubes Is Retro and Futuristic at Once

Italian studio DimoreMilano mustered great ingenuity when crafting these sculptural shelves, which are built without any screws.
This Vivacious Teapot Has Agnes Martin on One Side and Jean-Michel Basquiat on the Other

This Vivacious Teapot Has Agnes Martin on One Side and Jean-Michel Basquiat on the Other

Ceramist Roberto Lugo brings a street-art sensibility to a dainty serving vessel while paying homage to his artistic heroes.
Penelope Gottlieb’s Comic-Style Painting Is a Requiem for a Vanished Flower

Penelope Gottlieb’s Comic-Style Painting Is a Requiem for a Vanished Flower

This piece may look like Pop art fun, but embedded within is a message of a planet on the brink.
This Niko Kralj Mid-Century Rocking Chair Can Be Folded and Tucked Away

This Niko Kralj Mid-Century Rocking Chair Can Be Folded and Tucked Away

The 'King of Slovenian Design' is getting discovered anew, thanks to reissues of his sleek and inventive postwar designs.
Hideho Tanaka Carefully Stitched Together Pieces of Paper to Make This Sculptural Textile

Hideho Tanaka Carefully Stitched Together Pieces of Paper to Make This Sculptural Textile

The Japanese fiber artist’s ‘Vanishing and Emerging Wall’ may seem innocuous — but it plays with conceptions of time.
Photographer to Know:  Jack Mitchell

Photographer to Know: Jack Mitchell

His legendary portraits captured the pride and spirit of 20th-century creativity.
Behind the 1970s and ’80s Glam of ‘Halston’ with the Hit Show’s Costume Designer

Behind the 1970s and ’80s Glam of ‘Halston’ with the Hit Show’s Costume Designer

Jeriana San Juan explains how she undertook the intimidating project of designing costumes for the new Netflix series about the New York fashion legend. (Hint: She found vintage Halston on 1stDibs!)
5 Major Jewelry Trends We’re Tracking This Spring

5 Major Jewelry Trends We’re Tracking This Spring

From statement brooches to reimagined pearls, these bold styles will bring fresh energy to your look this season.
M.C. Escher’s Infinitely Intriguing Art Gets the Hollywood Treatment

M.C. Escher’s Infinitely Intriguing Art Gets the Hollywood Treatment

A new film goes deep into the artist's life and mind-bending creations, revealing why his ideas are still relevant to this day.
The ‘Queen’s Gambit’ Costumer Shares Her Strategy for the Show’s Haute 1960s Fashions

The ‘Queen’s Gambit’ Costumer Shares Her Strategy for the Show’s Haute 1960s Fashions

Gabriele Binder talks us through some of the iconic designer looks that inspired Beth Harmon's coquettish style in the hit Netflix series.
Photographer to Know: Gered Mankowitz

Photographer to Know: Gered Mankowitz

Since the 1960s, the British photographer has dedicated his life to immortalizing the world’s most influential rock stars. His iconic portraits still reverberate.
Alex Assouline Shows Us How to Curate the Perfect Private Library

Alex Assouline Shows Us How to Curate the Perfect Private Library

The publishing scion has crafted a surprisingly successful business out of designing high-end book displays.