Evelina, 23, Designs Barely-There Heels for Area's Spring 2027 NYFW Show

At Area's spring 2027 runway show, held yesterday morning in a brightly lit 7th-floor space near Madison Square Garden, models wore minuscule laced heels reminiscent of ped socks. The shoes were created by Evelina, a 23-year-old fashion graduate from Polimoda. This was Nicholas Aburn's third showing for the collection, which he described as equal parts hedonistic party and childlike wonder. Aburn discovered Evelina's work on Instagram and invited her to collaborate. The Barely There heels originated in her graduate collection, inspired by Michael Haneke's The Piano Teacher and self-portraits of Pierre Molinier, exploring conservative ambiguity. Evelina constructed the shoe from scratch, developing its shape from her own foot anatomy. Socks and tights were recurring materials in the collection, and she aimed to play with what is seen and hidden. She refined the graduate version through organic collaboration with Aburn. Due to visa delays, Evelina could not attend the show. Aburn told Vogue that her work is pretty and delicate, emotionally connected to the collection's innocence. Evelina noted the shoes feel familiar but become unsettling the longer you look. The design is part ballet, part lingerie, and is now available for purchase. Her biggest takeaway: many people are ashamed of their feet, and she urges, 'Guys, free your toes.'