“I love designing a big look,” says Nicholas Aburn, the creative director of the maximalist, party-ready brand Area. “But there’s something to be said for making special things that people can actually wear. I want to make the dress that you had the best night in, that you got laid in, that you went home with your partner for the first time in. It has to be fun and special, but also it has to be normal enough that you actually wear it.”
Aburn, who worked at Demna’s Balenciaga and is now in his second year at Area, carried that idea into the brand’s spring/summer 2027 collection. Amid the razzle-dazzle—crystal-covered looks, sculptural silhouettes, and metallic heels that announced themselves with sound—came a surprise: Toms. The humble shoe, part of a limited-edition collaboration available now, received an Area-sized makeover, with the Alpargata style reimagined through the label’s party-inflected lens.
Area spring/summer 2027.
The limited-edition collection recasts Toms’s cult silhouette in five variations. The Crystal Slit, available in white and black colorways, riffs on Area’s celebrity-favorite jeans of the same name, with crystals diagonally tracing the vamp. Balletcore gets two takes in the ballet flat: one with a statement crystal shoelace bow, the other covered in tonal rhinestones. There’s also something on offer for the minimalist: the Sculpture Alpargata, which features origami-like folds. Toms’s molded footbed and plush insoles lend themselves to all-day (and night) comfort, while the embellishments bring an intentional after-party sparkle.
Aburn is often approached by brands about collaborations, but Toms was an easy yes, even if the two might seem worlds apart. “I think even Toms was surprised that I was up for it,” the designer said. “Some of my colleagues were like, ‘That’s the one you are willing to pull the trigger on?’ But Toms is iconic, it’s American, and I like that it comes from this very casual place.”
That easygoing spirit came through on the runway. The shoes were styled with some of the collection’s more relaxed pieces: ink-splattered shorts, a draped cowl-neck top, and pooling white jeans with feather trim. It’s how Aburn envisions them being worn in real life. “At weddings, everyone takes off their heels and puts on those pass-out flip-flops,” he explains. “I like the idea that you bring the Toms in your bag and throw them on when you’re tired. You still have your dress on, your hair is kind of messy. Everything gets a little cooler at the end of the night.”
Aburn, like many, associates Toms with the “indie sleaze” era, when they were ubiquitous with skinny jeans. (He bought his first pair after seeing Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen wear them.) Now, with Area’s signature embellishments in the mix, Aburn already has a few dream wearers in mind.
“[The] Sculpture, which doesn’t actually have sparkles on it, I would be very excited to see guys in. I’d love to see Jacob Elordi in those. Taylor Swift has been a big supporter of the brand; she’d look great in the Crystal Slit ones. And I’d love to see some cool downtown girl like Ivy Wolk wearing the ballet flats.”
