I visited the Skims flagship store in New York City. It embodied Kim Kardashian's monochromatic and modern branding.

Skims previously opened pop-ups and placed its merchandise in stores like Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman. However, the business is expanding with a new flagship store in a multi-story building formerly home to Versace.

Skims tapped designer Rafael de Cárdenas to transform the Fifth Avenue space to fit the brand's monochromatic, modern aesthetic.

It officially opened on December 11, and the brand celebrated the opening with a star-studded launch party at the store on December 12.

"From the brand's inception, we envisioned physical stores as an integral part of our business model," Skims CEO Jens Grede said in the same press release shared with BI. "The success of our pop-ups and partnerships with trusted retail partners allowed us to refine our approach and learn what truly resonates with our customers."

"This flagship store is the culmination of those learnings, offering an unparalleled experience where customers can fully immerse themselves in the world of Skims," Grede added.

Kardashian and Grede told Women's Wear Daily that their New York flagship is just the beginning; they already plan to open other stores in places like Los Angeles and Charlotte.

Skims was easy to spot as I rounded the corner onto Fifth Avenue. Sandwiched between Longchamp and Cartier, the storefront's cream stone exterior already looked consistent with the neutral tones Kardashian gravitates toward for the brand.

I had to squint to see the small Skims logo sitting between the second and third floor of the building, while arched windows on the first floor gave me a glimpse inside the space — including a peek at a large sculpture sitting in the entryway.

When I arrived a little after 11 a.m., around 40 people were gathered in line to get into Skims, even though it opened at 10. Two security guards and a Skims employee periodically let groups of people in.

As I looked through the window, I didn't see too many people, so it seemed like the line was designed to prevent the store from becoming overwhelmed with customers.

I only had to wait about 10 minutes before I was ushered inside.

When I walked inside, I found that the store was divided into distinct rooms, each spotlighting different Skims products and collections.

A massive statue of a woman greets you inside the first room, which has beige tile floors and matching curved walls. The statue depicted a naked woman, though its arms were cut off, and she had no head or feet.

De Cárdenas shared on Instagram that Vanessa Beecroft designed the 15-foot sculpture, which almost looked like a modern cross between Michelangelo's David and the Venus de Milo by Alexandros of Antioch.

Two large cream platforms framed the statue, each topped by a large leafy plant. Between the statue and the plants, I could barely see the merchandise lining the room's walls.

Once I made my way around the statue and planters, I saw shapewear, bras, and underwear in varying flesh-colored tones — the products for which Skims has become best known — displayed on racks.

Mannequins cut off at the thighs sat above the racks on shelves, wearing items most people associate with Skims, like bodysuits and underwear.

The mannequins were diverse in shape, which is true to Skims' offerings. Its clothes come in sizes XXS through 5X.

A stairwell with curved detailing sits between the display rooms positioned in the front and back of the building.

The beige tones and curved design reminded me of the clips of Kardashian's home in her "73 Questions" video with Vogue from 2019.

The stairwells are mostly empty, with the exception of groups of five mannequins wearing Skims merchandise.

When I visited the store, the Skims workers wore matching pale-purple sweatsuits.

At least one Skims employee was in every display room to help shoppers, though I saw two to three in most of them.

While there, I also saw two different Skims employees mopping the floors with Swiffers. They paused their efforts whenever a shopper walked by their cleaning path.

In the back room on the first floor, mannequins acted as decor, as 24 of them were displayed on the back wall.

The back room had a lot more merchandise than the front room, attracting more foot traffic from shoppers, though it kept up the sleek aesthetic. Clothes hung from racks on the walls, and rounded storage drawers were pushed together to serve as platforms for additional merchandise and mannequins.

The neutral theme continued in the back, but there was some subtle holiday season decor if you looked for it. Christmas lights wrapped around the mannequins and sat next to gifts wrapped in sheets.

Skims is known for its muted-toned products, but it does sell colorful items, like the red and pink pieces in its holiday shop.

However, I noticed that the brand's colorful merchandise was arranged to be mostly out of sight. Everything in the front room was neutral-toned, and the more pigmented pieces in the back room sat mostly on the sides of the room that you couldn't see when you walked into the space.

The second and third floors were laid out similarly to the first, though clothes were the focus in both the front and back display rooms instead of plants or sculptures taking up space.

I also saw a checkout counter on each floor, so shoppers didn't have to wait in one line.

It was fun to see Skims pieces in person as I walked around. I like online shopping for its convenience, but it's helpful to feel the fabrics before making a purchase.

The upper floors featured more present decor, a myriad of Skims products, and more headless mannequins, which were diverse in shape and color.

It was helpful as a shopper that many of them were positioned on raised platforms, as I could see the clothes from all angles as I walked around the store.

The store seemed to have every piece from the Skims and Dolce & Gabbana collaboration, including a $698 sleep set.

Skims' beloved slip dresses were in the same room.

Skims started selling menswear in 2023, and it became the official underwear of the NBA, WNBA, and USA basketball shortly after.

The menswear room at Skims was arranged similarly to the back room on the first floor, with mannequins displaying underwear on the wall and raised platforms.

The mannequins of men didn't have as much diversity in shape as the women's mannequins did, but they were diverse in color.

As I wandered the store, I understood why Skims only let small groups in at a time. Shoppers were taking their time looking through the merchandise and chatting with employees about sizes and variations of dresses or shapewear.

There was a line for the dressing rooms, too. I heard an employee telling a shopper she could wait on some couches until her name was called for her turn to try on some items.

In the years since its creation, Skims has become a modern, stylish, and sophisticated yet accessible brand.

Everything about the Skims store felt true to that brand, from its contemporary architecture and artistic additions to its wide product selections.

Even the mannequins arranged throughout the store seemed to speak to Kardashian's vision for the company, as they were both practical and aesthetically pleasing, much like Skims' products themselves.

And if the line outside the store was any indication, the store is likely here to stay.