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

Jacobina

In our ongoing effort to promote student art we have recently been contacted by Jacobina de Rivera an inquisitive Art student from the public university in Queretaro, Mexico. Ms. Rivera has granted us permission to publish her recent correspondence with TW.

Posted by Jacobina de Rivera

Hi Mr. Ward!
My name is Jacobina de Rivera. I´m 19 years old, from México and I just fell in love with your work. It is just so clean, artistic and beautiful. I do not have enough words to describe the feelings that your work creates in me. I send you some amateur photographs, but I hope that one day you can come to México and, if you want to, I could model for you… it would be a pleasure for me…

I´m studying art at the public University here in Querétaro, México. This semester my teacher gave us some optional subjects and one of them was “porn studies” (or prostitutology) I really do not know which is the correct name of this subject in English, but we study all kinds of porn, and when it becomes Art. Yesterday, I took the class and we talked about your work… I had to search all about it on the web. I just fell in love with it… again… it is so artistic… every detail is perfect… I could spend all day watching your photos…

Portrait of Jacobina by Friend

By the way… I hope one day I can meet you and of course, model for you. Best greetings from a far far away utopia…..Regards!

Type O Negative Fan

Posted by Alejandra Guerrero

……….TW I didn’t tell you the OTHER part of why I took these pics, besides that I was feeling all pretty, the reality of things…. I was very sad that day because I woke up to find out that Peter Steele, singer of one of my fave bands, Type O Negative had died the night before of heart failure.

He Even Gave Me A Kiss

I’ve been a Type O Negative fan since I was 15 and I had a personal fascination for Pete, maybe it was because I found him so frightening that I thought he was sexy. He was tall, his long black hair, deep green eyes, kind of Vampire looking, very masculine and seeing photos of him in Playgirl magazine at the end of the 90s, he was proportional to his height, he was 6′7” ! He had been in my fantasies for a long time… I often Googled, looking for stuff on him.Better yet, I met him twice 10 years ago. The first time he even gave me a kiss! He was very nice and had this awesome dark sense of humor. I took some photos but they were ruined by accident processing the film. The ones with me… I thought then, I’ll see him again, take other ones, never did… 

RIP Pete, you are going to be very missed.

To learn more about Alejandra Guerrero’s work log on to www.Alt-Er-Ego.com.

Self Portrait

Kitchen

……….my muse about two years ago, love and respect……….

……….a labor day weekend spent shooting friends at the Bonaventure hotel, Los Angeles, a very grand time………….

The Bonaventure

……….a rainy day in Silverlake, Cali…………

To learn more about Stephanie Vovas work log on to www.StephanieVovas.com.

Spectra 1

Notes on my Polaroids: Posted by Stephanie Vovas

……….Ever since I was a young girl I have loved Polaroids. I have about 1500 of them, dating all the way back to when I was little. To me, Polaroids are like precious jewels, you cannot recreate them. I think it’s one of the greatest inventions of modern times.

I was a Polaroid junkie and If I didn’t have any Spectra film on hand I felt uncomfortable, because that meant I was unprepared for any beautiful, sexy, interesting moments that might come up.

Spectra 3

I want to make a book of all my Polaroid work someday. I look forward to meeting the right publisher. I can’t wait to try the new film that is coming out. Thank God Polaroid is making a come back!

Spectra 4

To learn more about Stephanie Vovas Polaroid work log on to www.StephanieVovas.com.

Photos by Alejandra Guerrero

……….During a recent adult film production in Los Angeles, TW asked his assistant Alejandra Guerrero to capture some of the highlight’s of his visit, on and off the set. The production induced a warm and playful atmosphere. Everybody was having fun.

TW And Kimberly Kane In Between Scenes

Bobbi Starr commented; ” it was the best adult feature film production I have ever been on.” The Studio thanks Bobbi for the compliment!

Bobbi Starr Ready For Her Scene

Candid Moment: Kimberly Kane and Mr. Pete

TW Checks The Dressing Room

Although the production was on a very tight schedule, Alejandra made sure that TW got to meet some old and new friends. A candid moment back at the hotel, as they got ready for the evening’s festivities.

Selfy With TW At The Beverly Laurel Hotel

Steve Diet Goedde And Tony Ward

Coop With Girlfriend Stepahnie

Drinks At The Dresden, Hollywood

Play With Light 1

……….Our cover subject for the month of April, Alejandra Guerrero is a very talented model as well as accomplished photographer. Ms. Guerrero recently sent this series of pictures to the studio, as she was excited to play with “florescent” light. The result’s from her self-portrait session’s are always quite remarkable.

Play With Light 2

Play With Light 3

Play With Light 4

To learn more about Alejandra Guerrero’s work log on to www.alt-er-ego.com.

Selfy

Posted By Alejandra Guerrero

I have this series I’ve been producing for a while called “Dressing Rooms.” Basically, I am trying on clothes and taking photos while doing so, in all sorts of different stores and dressing rooms, in various cities where I travel. The idea came to me in 2004, when I saw this gorgeous Valentino dress at a Filene’s Basement in Chicago. Even though it was a discount store it was still 2000 dollars!

I was carrying my first digital camera, and it occurred to me to take a photo wearing the dress. I showed the picture to a friend who lived close by, a make-up artist with Nars, and I thought about re-doing the shot but a little bit more glamorous. So he did my hair and make up and  I returned to the store and told the lady at the dressing room to let me take some photos, so that my boyfriend would see how great it looked, so he would buy it for me.

Some time later my passion for shopping and taking photos blended together as I kept doing the same type of guerrilla shots, of course not telling anyone I was doing so, trying clothes on, being seductive, provocative, funny, ironic  or whatever mood I felt and trying of course not to get caught. In my mind I thought if I couldn’t have the clothes, I can at least have a photo of me wearing them. Sometimes I have tried clothes I’d never wear or I would love to wear, ranging from lingerie, trashy, couture and ready to wear fashion.