CThru.com Presents Tony Ward

Self Portrait With Handlebar Mustache

TW: When did you first realize you had a distinct eye for mens fashion?

KS: It began In High school, I was an Art Major, painter and sculptor. I wore black clothing covered in Gesso on purpose, very Jackson Pollock.

TW: Did the way your father dress for work and casual time impact your early view as to how men should approach the way they attire themselves?

KS: Yes my father dressed very well, he was a white collar man. This was the 70’s you had to look fly even for work. He also dressed for evening, Tux all the way. He is a 33 degree Mason so he had to come correct. He wore a wide variety of hats and cologne that made my eyes water, but he was always well groomed. He’s still a fly cat. Smooth like china silk. I love him for that.

Mississippi At the Crossroads: Photo By Kwaku Alston

TW: Who is your favorite menswear designer today?

KS: I like a bit of every one. I take designer sport coats and cut them below the pockets to crop the front of the jacket. I’ve just finished a Paul Smith sport coat. I’ll rock that today with Pink shoes. I’d also like to add, I only wear ROGER CHARLES NEW YORK, the shirt company I started with a partner in 2007.

TW: We met during the glory days at VIBE during the early 90’s…. How did your tenure there impact your approach to mens fashion as you moved forward with your career as fashion director for several other popular culture magazines, including DETAILS and GEAR?

KS: VIBE was my first real taste of artistic freedom. I could choose my calibrator’s like you my friend. We could test the boundaries of traditional American publishing, go on location and show beautiful nudes. The work was seamless in the context of VIBE. It allowed me to dream and make pictures I wanted to see in a magazine.

Mississippi: Photo By Kwaku Alston

TW: We have both shared the experience of working for the famous Guccione family. I for the father Bob senior. and you for the son Bob junior. What was it like to work for the son of the founder and publisher of Penthouse magazine?

KS: Bob junior is a true original thinker and thoughtful man. A great human being. I was lucky to be in his company and at all times I love him very much. When he writes his memoirs I’ll be first in line to buy the book. He has his place in the American history of publishing. SPIN Magazine stood alone as the voice of the late 70’s and early 80’s. It covered bands that couldn’t get arrested at the time. I could go on forever about Bob. I learned how to bring a product to market, communicate the vision and sell it to marketers. He had a great deal to do with who I am today.

TW: You are currently fashion director for ESPN the magazine. What is the most interesting fashion editorial you have published thus far?

KS: Every year we do a shoot called Kings For a Day. It features up and coming NFL Draft players. Young guys who enjoy the work I do. The other amazing shoot was with the Washington Capital Police posing as Secret Service agents protecting the President. It involved blue screen and great gray suits.

Photo By Albert Watson

Photo By Jody Ake

TW: What is your favorite mens fragrance?
KS: Tough one I have a very bad nose, due to years of allergies. I have worn Calvin Klein Obsession. I think I drained the bottle and never got a refill.
I may start to wear ODIN 04 as it is clean, light and natural.

Self Portrait With Beard

Letter From Editor In Chief

……….TW has been invited by German Cosmopolitan to produce a 10 page editorial for the 30th anniversary issue in October, 2010. TW is casting a fashion or glamour model in the Philadelphia or New York area for the “Art & Sex” special edition. Minimal nudity is required. Interested models should contact the studio at tony@tonyward.com. TW is also in search of a hair and makeup artist for the production as well.

Cover

……….The studio is pleased to announce that TW’s most recent book publication entitled WASTELAND, has been printed in France, and first edition copies are making their way to international book stores in the coming days. Unfortunately do to the volcanic eruption that took place in Iceland on Wednesday April 14th, the scheduled book signing at the April 17th Wasteland party in Amsterdam is canceled. The publisher La Musardine, Paris has made arrangements for a representative of the company to attend the party on TW’s behalf and will continue to make books available for sale at the event.

Josselein Meijs

Josselein Meijs wrote an insightful essay to accompany the publication about the evolution of the party and its participants;
“If you dare to be different… If you are without prejudice… If you love living on the edge… If exploring your wildest fantasies makes you tick… ”

……….The studio is pleased to announce that after recent correspondence, Dutch fashion model Justine Bakker may be coming out of retirement to work on an erotic fashion editorial for Tony Ward Productions. TW was the first international photographer to discover the androgynous star back in the late nineties when he first began shooting and producing in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Blend 2

Recently, the Studio has been contacted to produce a series of pictures for the 30th anniversary issue of German Cosmopolitan. As he began the casting process his former model came to mind.Shortly after he provided Justine with the confidence to move forward as a fashion model, Mario Testino discovered her and she soon after wound up on the cover of Italian Vogue. Her range is uncanny, from the androgynous editorial shoot Justine produced with TW for Blend Magazine to DKNY international ads, shot by Peter Lindbergh.

Blend 3

Like most models in their 30’s Justine thought she was at the end of the line. She took some time off, and now is contemplating a return to an industry where she was very well received.

Blend 4

TW recently told Justine, “If Linda Evangelista has that kind of staying power, you can too”.

Erotic Plates

Posted by Denise Fike

Denise Fike is playfully sassy, naughty and energetic, incorporating the nuance of naiveté with the seduction of maturity. Girlish at times, painting striped legs with a terrier in tow, she quickly reminds us of her sophistication and love of wearing wide brim hats. It’s fun to watch Denise at work in her studio. She loves what she does; climbing into her painting like putting on a garment. No veneer here. She lets it all hang out. There is immediacy about her imagery; her bold line demanding our attention.

As if revealing three sides of her nature, Denise presents three distinct approaches to her work: floral, fashion and figure. She loves to draw form, specifically female form. “I just like the parts better. Men are too angular. Women are fleshier.” Opacity and palette play a great role in creating the backdrop to her figure work. Despite a monotone genre of sorts, she has the wonderful skill of conveying nuance with no gradation or shading of light. Denise’s transparent and special relationship with her models avails us to intimate visual conversation; we are keenly aware of their essence.

Very much about her materials, nearly twenty years in the wallpaper design and manufacturing industry, Denise incorporates wallpaper with figure in her “fashion” and floral paintings. Weaving figure with rich wallpaper design and patterning, she creates rich textural tapestries.

No fanfare here, minimalist even, Denise paints with enamel on canvas, wood and other found materials, preferring a toothless texture to enhance the opacity of her color fields.

She is fortunate that her relationship with her models allows for a comfort level that results in the most intimate of poses. A night of revelry, some martini’s, Gin of course, and a spontaneity, that has evolved into “The Dirty Dishes”. Buon Appetito!

To learn more about Denise Fike’s work log on to www.denisefikedesigns.com.