Years
Conspicuous Consumption
Tailored suits, dinner jackets worn with pastel t-shirts, fitness apparel and cowboy boots: in the 1980s, there’s money to be made and money to be spent. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you look good doing it.
A yuppie can now wear a suit and tie without worrying that he looks like his father. Double-breasted designer suits are de rigueur.
Professional women are wearing suits tailored at the waist with wide-shouldered jackets, short straight skirts and elegant blouses. Pant suits are becoming standard office attire for women managers. It is a kind of retaliation against the anti-prosperity rhetoric of the hippies — now you have the right to earn money, be well-dressed and not care about politics.
Dresses are bordering on the delirious, with bubble skirts, puff sleeves and shiny fabrics in bright colours. Men and women alike are joining the body-building and aerobics craze. Women are walking down the street in bodies and tight leggings. And no mention of the Eighties would be complete without Madonna, Michael Jackson, and the popular TV series Dallas and Dynasty.
Youth culture belongs to the blacks. Black electronic music, hip-hop, rap and house dominate this period. With break-dancing comes the arrival of comfy sportswear, sneakers and baseball caps.
Fashion influences from the Far East provide striking contrast with the designs of the West. The most original ideas come from Japan.
1980
Chaussures DeLuca moves to de Castelnau Street.
By the end of the 1970s, it has become easier to import San Crispino shoes from Italy, which is much less expensive than making them. The shoe market has evolved; Mr. DeLuca reacts to these developments by starting to manufacture winter boots for the Québec market.
Early 1980's
Cowboy boots are introduced on the market.
1984
A new line of suede winter boots is launched: the Grasso range of water-repellent boots made from treated nubuck.
1985
The Secco range of water-repellent leather boots is launched. The leather used in this range is shinier, thicker and more refined.
1988
The Anfibio line is launched. These are totally waterproof leather boots, the result of a unique treatment which permanently binds chemical substances to each of the fibres.
At this time, boots are often said to be water-resistant but never before has a manufacturer called them waterproof. The assembly and insulation of Anfibio boots are designed in such a way as to preserve this waterproof quality.
Relying on its now well-established reputation, Chaussures DeLuca commits itself to producing shoes and boots in non-standard sizes and widths. Top quality Anfibio boots are the only styles available up to size 16.
Some Americans living in colder states start to show an interest in DeLuca winter boots. An agreement is signed with L.L. Bean, among others, for the distribution of boots in the United States.
End of the 1980's
DeLuca stops making moccasins, one of its benchmark products. The production of shoes is stopped altogether.