#flash-cadilac

Thoughts From the Spandex Queen

  Skateway Fashion Show– Flash Cadilac bathing suits In 1979 Rose Simpson from the Ottawa Journal reported that my store Flash Cadilac had devoted a lot of their floor space that Fall to ‘seductive spandex’ and Danskins. I told her it was going to be huge for fall, but people must be prepared to lose a lot of weight to wear it properly.

Linda Ducharme was me..The Ottawa Journal Ottawa, Ontario,…

The Story About My Cinderella Hat

Kym Brown

Some days I am sure all of us wonder if we are making a difference in life by writing words, or with other forms of communication. Through my life I have tried hard to make people understand that they mattered, and hope that maybe I made their day brighter at some point in time.  But, I have always wondered if I did enough, and had I really made a difference to anyone.

Saturday I was at

Should I Have Done that on Television?

1979 when I designed clothes for Ruth Buzzi for the show You Can’t Do that on Televison” “To Linda, thank you for the wonderful costumes- you are indeed wonderful to work with- I hope this goes well so we do it again” Love Ruth Buzzi 1979.. She was on one season and replaced with local actress Abby Hagyard– loved this woman

One morning in 1979, British writer, director, and producer,…

To the Man on the Other End of the Line- Dan O’Shea With Love

    Please play while reading.

  Dan and his niece Katrina  not looking like the Dan I remember– but it’s all I got and it will have to do:(

Where do I start about my love and admiration for Danny O’Shea? I really can’t remember Danny not being a part of life until we lost him to cancer last year. When I first met him years ago I…

Everyone Needs a Little Devil Wears Prada in their Life– Even Towns

From Lost Ottawa on Facebook– Photo of Linda Seccaspina–19 years ago Flash Cadilac closed after 23 years on Rideau Street. Photo by Wanita Bates

  Last night I watched The Devil Wears Prada for the 100th time and wondered again why character Andy Sachs put up with that awful Runway Magazine editor. When I got up this morning I realized I too had once been “an Andy Sachs”and today I thanked my…

Bullied by City Hall – I Fought the Law and the Law Won!

After I read Alex Boutilier’s article about the perils of Anthony Markoand the “offensive” Bob Dylan mural at his Pour Boy bar on Somerset Street I rolled my eyes. Nothing has changed in the city of Ottawa and it never will. God forbid you do something different, and how Marko got them to change their minds and keep his mural is beyond me–but I am happy for him.   I tried to write a sentence or…

When you have a business–you are far from perfect– no doubt about it.. Here are two of my biggest ‘retail” mistakes from my book- Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac. Flaming Groovies 1978-1980An empty store became available across the street from my store– positioned between the ultra swanky men’s shop Luna and the coffee shop that made the best bacon sandwiches ever. I wasn’t really…

My mother always told my father that she sensed I had natural rhythm and most probably  would become a professional dancer.  At age 17 and one half I had my first break and in1968 I became one of the first regular dancers on a Montreal based TV show called  “Like Young”.

Every Saturday afternoon I  sported my grandmother’s orthopedic brown lace up shoes, ready to dance to Motown tunes. Those…