Kathy Bates’ Sneex Sneaker Heels Are the Star Shoes of This Awards Season — Third Time’s the Charm!
We saw her wear them at the SAG Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and the Golden Globes
We saw her wear them at the SAG Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and the Golden Globes Getty Images / Christopher Polk / Variety / Sneex (1):max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/peo-affnet-kathy-bates-sneex-tout-a098c91f8263439a9415ba5d37970257.jpg "Kathy Bates at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards collaged with orange half circle and sneex The Icon shoe in lower right")
Kathy Bates is an icon in, well, The Icon. Let us explain.
The 76-year-old actress got all dolled up for the 2025 SAG Awards on Sunday in an outfit that was nothing short of showstopping. She shined brightly in a satiny blazer, black pants, bold baubles, and her failsafe red carpet sneaker heels from Sneex.
She slipped into The Icon Hy-Heel Sneakers, which are Reese Witherspoon-worn and Oprah-backed shoes, marking this as the third time she sported them during the 2025 awards season. She wore the same ones to the Critics Choice Awards on February 7 and a blue pair to the Golden Globes on January 5. Kevin Mazur/Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty
Sneex The Icon Hy-Heel Sneaker in Black
Sneex
$395
The Icon Hy Heel-Sneakers, along with the brand’s two other designs, are essentially a two-for-one special: From the front, they look like some sort of lace-less slip-on with mesh for ventilation and a durable sole for good grip. But get a glance at them from the side and you’ll see they have a thin, 78-millimeter heel, which is just a little over 3 inches and definitely not your average sneaker.
There’s also noteworthy features that you can’t see, but rather feel… in a good way. They’re designed to help alleviate achy arches, sore balls of the feet, and raw cuts on your toes. How? Founder Sara Blakely thought this all through and that’s why the weight distribution is better balanced and the toe boxes are nice and wide.
“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 wrote on the brand’s website.
Sneex The Icon Hy-Heel Sneaker in Camel
Sneex
$395
They’re also quite the conversation-starter. My mom and I have been testing Sneex shoes and people always seem to notice them — it happened to me in a designer store nonetheless, and it’s a regular occurrence for my mother. Social media users were also sounding off about them in our PEOPLE Instagram comments. Even Oprah brought up her best friend and her Sneex on her 2024 Favorite Things List because of them.
Full sizes 5 to 11 are available, but you can exchange them for free if they’re too small or big, and they come in four colors. Scoop them up now, but be warned, you may never be able to wear regular heels again.
Sneex The Icon Hy-Heel Sneaker in Indigo
Sneex
$395
Sneex Silk Ankle Sock
Sneex
$16
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