Gayle King Raves Over Sneex, New Sneaker-Stiletto Hybrid Shoe

Almost 25 years after creating what would become the billion-dollar Spanx business, entrepreneur Sara Blakely has introduced her latest innovation—Sneex. The Atlanta-based business woman announced her new venture this week, a stiletto-sneaker hybrid aimed at comfort, and she already has a celebrity fan in Gayle King.

While sneakers-turned-stilettos are not new—in addition to brands like Balenciaga showing variations on recent runways, there was a considerable trend towards sneaker-styled stilettos in the early 2000s. But for Blakely, the idea is more than about aesthetics. “Sneex are my love letter to every woman who has taken her shoes off at a party, who wears flats to work with heels in her bag, who thought her days of wearing heels were over,” she says in a statement on the Sneex site.

Now King is throwing all of her support toward Blakely’s latest creation, and invited her to talk about the shoe on her show CBS Mornings. The talk show host then shared posts on Instagram where she raved about the shoe, including a video of her pushing a suitcase through the airport while rocking a pair of green Sneex saying people stopped her to ask where she purchased them.

“I got a pair of Sneex and I’ve been waiting for them,” King said in a meeting with Blakely backstage of CBS Mornings. “Ever since Sara told me top secret, I’ve been wanting to tell people.” King suggested she might wear the “hy-heels” to the Democratic National Convention this week.

After a development process of almost a decade, Blakely has created a shoe aimed at addressing key pain points with stiletto pump styles. While many boast pointed toe boxes, Sneex provides ample space so as to not pinch toes.

While pumps often require wearers to balance with the middle of the foot not quite supported by the shoe, but Sneex is designed to come into contact with the entire sole. And while the lion’s share of stilettos mandate wearers to balance most of their weight on the ball of the foot with only about 20 percent of the pressure on the heel, Sneex has a 50/50 split. 

With pricing that ranges from $395 to $595, the Spain-made lightweight shoe pulls its aesthetics directly from sneakers. They are made of Napa leather as well as suedes from Italy and France. In place of laces, the three inch stilettos feature straps.