Gayle King Steps Into the Sneaker-heel Boom With Sneex’s Silver Tepper Hy Heels in New York City

Gayle King added a metallic flash to the premiere of “Naomi Osaka: The Second Set in New York” on Monday, opted for the Sneex Tepper Hy-Heel Sneaker in silver, a hybrid silhouette that grafts a stiletto heel onto a sneaker upper.

The Tepper’s construction keeps the athletic codes intact: mesh side panels, stitched overlays and a wide Velcro strap across the midfoot. Underfoot, a rubber tread mirrors a performance sole, while the thin heel pulls the shoe firmly into red carpet territory. The silver colorway has disappeared from Sneex’s direct-to-consumer site and now circulates only on resale platforms, though the model continues in other shades this season at $595.

King has become one of Sneex’s most consistent adopters since the brand’s 2024 debut. In June, she wore the Blake Hy-Heel to the “F1: The Movie” premiere in New York, pairing the sneaker-backed stiletto with a pin-striped set. Courtside sightings and award shows have followed, positioning her as an early supporter of the brand’s “hy-heel” experiment.

That experiment has quickly gained traction. Sneex, founded by Sara Blakely, produces its shoes in Spain and Italy using napa leather and Italian mesh, with designs aimed at redistributing weight and widening the toe box for stability. The line took home the FNAA Launch of the Year Award in 2024 and landed on Oprah’s Favorite Things within months of release.

The silhouette also sits within a broader resurgence of sneaker-heels. Emily Blunt was photographed on the set of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” in Brandon Blackwood’s Paloma Sneaker Heel, while Isabel Marant’s Bekett wedge sneaker has returned to the Lyst Index with a 630 percent spike in demand. Both moments point to an appetite for footwear that blends sport references with elevated formality.

For King, pairing the silver Tepper with a crisp white dress kept the look pared back while directing focus to the shoe itself. For Sneex, the placement added another high-visibility endorsement in a year where the hybrid heel has moved from divisive talking point to a category of its own.