The cross between deca-and tacky-chic

[Coffee Break]

Hello everyone. I encountered this expression, "The cross between deca-and tacky-chic", and I am wondering what it means in the following sentences:

The waiters and waitresses, it finally dawned on me, were all blond model types wearing what was in fact a uniform: bright yellow shirt with sleeves rolled all the way up, wide floating blue neckties, and very tight, very low-cut khakis with a rakish suggestion of a slightly unzipped fly. The cross between deca-and tacky-chic made me want to turn and say something to someone. But I didn’t know a soul here. Meanwhile, the waiters were urging the sea of guests to work their way to either end of the large hall, where caterers had begun serving dinner behind large buffet tables.

- André Aciman, Eight White Nights, First Night

This is a novel published in the United States of America in 2010. This novel is narrated by the nameless male protagonist. The protagonist meets Clara at a Christmas party in Manhattan. Here, the protagonist is thinking that the waiters in the party are "the cross between deca-and tacky-chic".

Here, I wonder what "deca-" might mean. I assume it could mean "decandent", but this is just my wild guess. And I also wonder what "tacky-chic" might mean. I guess it might mean a chic atmosphere with an inexpensive quality, but I am not very sure.

And I learned in the dictionary that "the cross between" means "a hybrid (combination) of the two things", but I am not certain what a hybrid of "deca-chic" and "tacky-chic" might be.


I would very much appreciate your help.

 

[Skrej]

I take it to mean a cross between decadent chic and tacky chic.

I think you're on the right track. The neckties for example might be considered chic, but the extremely tight and low-cut pants and suggestion of unzipped flys is kind of tacky. Note too, the use of the term 'rakish', which further suggest an element of tackiness. The rolled sleeves juxtaposed with a tie is also kind of tacky. There are a couple of styles of floating tie knots (here and here), none of which strike me as particularly elegant. I find them kind of tacky personally.

I suppose the idea of having servers in ties and uniforms serves for the decadent aspect, or perhaps having all the wait staff be blonde models. Is their anything in the prior paragraphs that suggest the atmosphere or decor is decadent?

 

[Coffee Break]

@Skrej,

Thank you very much for the explanation.
So it is the combination of "decadant chic" and "tacky chic"!
And the fact that the waiters are in ties and uniforms, and that the waiters are all blond models, can be a decadent aspect. I learned a new thing all thanks to you.
Maybe "decadent" here might mean "decaying", I guess:

Definition of DECADENT

characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence; marked by decay or decline… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

Definition of decadent​

1: characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence a rich and decadent dessertthe hotel's decadent luxury
2: marked by decay or decline an increasingly decadent society

And the floating tie knot, and rolled sleeves constitute a tacky (=cheaply showy) aspect:

Definition of TACKY

somewhat sticky to the touch; also : characterized by tack : adhesive… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

Definition of tacky​

1: not having or exhibiting good taste: such as
a: marked by cheap showiness : GAUDY a tacky publicity stunt a tacky outfit
b: marked by lack of style : DOWDY

Is their anything in the prior paragraphs that suggest the atmosphere or decor is decadent?

Yes, I think in the preceding paragraph which I quoted as following, there appears expressions such as "bankers, bimbos, barbies"... So I guess the place is full of money, sex, and strictly blond people, so I guess that might provide a decadent atmosphere. And there is "rich-and-famous Euro snobs" (The barbie and snob part is underlined by me) :

When I finally emerged from the congested staircase upstairs, the size of the crowd had more than tripled. All these people, and all that hubbub, the music and glitz, and all these rich-and-famous Euro snobs looking as though they’d just stepped off private helicopters that had landed on an unknown strip on Riverside and 106th Street. Suddenly I realized that these imposing, double-parked limousines lining the curb all the way to Broadway and back and around the block were carrying people who were headed to no other party but ours, and that, therefore, I had all along been at the very party to which I wanted to be invited instead. The tanned women who wore loud jewelry and clicked about the parquet floor on spiked heels, the dashing young men who hurried about the huge room wearing swanky black suits with dark taupe open-collar shirts, the older men who tried to look like them by putting on clothes their bedecked new wives claimed they’d look much younger in. Bankers, bimbos, Barbies—who were these people?

So all in all, the atmosphere is chic, but there are an element of decadence (decay) and cheapness combined.
I truly appreciate your help.