| The following year bullet belts, with glittery shells, were a fashion craze that complemented mini skirts, hot pants, "high plains drifter" suede jackets, and maxi afros that leaped onto the scene and diluted the sense of revolution that was taking place in the broader culture. Jae's observation that the lime green, strawberry, orange, and grape colors in the clothing that young men and women were wearing reflected the unabashed, independent spirit of the times. Those were the coolade colors that became the hallmark of the AFRICOBRA work. Accordingly, she designed a line of men's wear, which she produced in commercial quantities to market in local shops. By chance, she found a willing model in Wadsworth, who was featured in her ads wearing coolade clothing that she designed. The two of them and WJ Studio and Gallery became the anchor to which the five AFRICOBRA pioneers were moored. Throughout the years Jae juggled motherhood with creativity, casting her net in the retail arena as Jae of Hyde Park and her upscale childrens ware store called Tadpole Togs. At one time she made and retailed mouth watering cheese cake, and operated her store Vintage Menswear and Collectibles in Tribeca (Manhattan) until 2006 |
