Shop With: Kelly Williams, author of Midimalist and everyone's #1 Hype Girl.

Outfit ideas 100% guaranteed.

Introducing the Queen of Substack Hype:

Kelly Williams

, the brains behind the

Midimalist

newsletter. If you’re already a fashion substack connoisseur, you will no doubt have experienced her genuine warmth; it oozes through her notes, comments, letters, DMs, and inspiring thesis-style writing.

Kelly thinks deeply (as you can tell by her glorious, long and detailed newsletters) about how we dress, how we shop, how we talk about style from the POV of someone who speaks from the heart and her experience versus strict fashion career exposure. It’s what people love most about her newsletters. She attacks the hard ‘dressing’ questions that we all find ourselves facing in the mirror most mornings, and her writing has helped untangle many a poor soul.

And because of all that, her community is thriving. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND subscribing.

She was one of the first people to write about her love of Carted—naturally we connected over that shared passion ;)

Over to Kelly.

Introducing: Vacation Kelly. Read more Midimalist and you’ll get to know her well. She’s very, very fun.

Hi! Can you introduce yourself, anything about yourself, especially things I might not find on the internet.

Hi! I’m

Kelly Williams

, the writer behind the Substack

Midimalist

but I’m also a mom to 3 kids and work in PR for Travel/Hospitality.

Honestly, I am definitely hitting out of my league being featured next to some of the other Shop With interviews because I really consider myself a regular gal with a lot to say about personal style and shopping.

I consider myself a life-long student so I’m always trying new things or reading about something different. I took up tennis in 2024 and I’m having the time of my life playing (and buying cute clothes for it). Currently I’m spending a lot of time reading about stoicism, stretching and cycle synching.

What does shopping mean to you?

When I was growing up my mom would take me to the “fancy” mall on the weekends and we would window shop for hours. This particular mall had a store for pre-teens that was not at the mall closer to my house so I loved feeling like I was discovering something that no-one else had. So many of those feelings have carried over into the rest of my life. Shopping feels a bit like a scavenger hunt. I really love the discovery of an item that makes me excited about styling or getting dressed.

How would you describe your shopping type? Are you impulsive, intentional, a collector, a minimalist. Has that evolved over time?

I’m a thoughtful and cautious shopper. I’ve never had an unlimited shopping budget so all of my purchases are very considered—I can’t remember a time when I shopped impulsively. I’m always trying to weigh up if the juice is worth the squeeze; not specifically what the cost/wear will be but, more so, what pleasure will I derive from this versus the cost.

I'm also super “online” as it relates to shopping because I don’t have access to all the brands that I’m interested in, the way that someone in a bigger city might. I do a lot of online shopping and searching for secondhand items from the comfort of my couch. There’s a lot of delayed gratification in that particular type of shopping which has taught me a lot about buying something that will still feel exciting when it takes two weeks to get to me.

How do you make decisions about what to buy for yourself? Do you have a process or any rules you follow? Do you throw all that out the window on some days?

Carted feels like it was designed for my very specific type of neurotic shopping because I make lots of lists when I shop. I like to prioritize things on lists and try to find the best price. I have loose rules around keeping things on my wishlist for 1-2 weeks before buying to avoid buyers remorse as much as possible.

Because I like shopping secondhand, sometimes I have to be more spontaneous but it’s usually for an item that I’ve been coveting for a while. I also joke that anything under $20 doesn’t count and I’m way more likely to hit “buy” without (over)thinking.

Tell me about your DMs with your friends. Is there a lot of shopping chat? Have you always been that friend that people ask your opinion on if they should buy?

I have a few core girlfriends that trade outfit pictures or links to the things we are eyeing. I am the ultimate hype girl because I love seeing what my friends are wearing so my texts and DMs are full of encouragement; and- obviously- speaking the truth about a purchase that should not be made.

Though, to be honest, I am also the go-to girl for book/podcast recommendations, recipe suggestions and random thoughts on being a mom. Again, I’m just a hype girl at heart.

What are the last three things you actually bought?

1. These Vintage Armani sunglasses.

I thought I lost them two days after I got them but it turned out my daughter had stolen them and put them in her cup-holder to wear. They are safely back in my hands, but I’m glad she has good taste.

2. I bought a tennis skirt from a new-to-me brand called Spence.

Honestly I could have bought one of everything they sell but I contained myself. If you see me wearing this off the court don’t tell anyone.

3. I bought these sandals from Zara.

I’m really trying to reduce my shopping at Zara but I have pretty good luck with their shoes. I sort of fell in love with the modeled photo because the shoes appear almost invisible and I loved that for summer. Practicality is a MASSIVE component to my style because of my kids and these manage to check the boxes of cute and functional.

Tell me three items that are currently on your list to buy?

1. I’m shopping for a pair of white pants because it feels like a great move for summer. I’m, specifically, hunting for something with a drawstring so I can adjust where I wear on my waist/hips. I wish the Leset Kyoto weren’t sold out, but I am patiently waiting for a restock (thanks Carted). A friend told me that red underwear doesn't show through under white pants (what is that magic?!) so I’m more apt to give white pants a try.

Shop Girl note: APPARENTLY it's because of the closer luminance to your skin tone of red versus something like black or white. Grey will also show through less. Of course, all depends on your skin tone, this note is based on Kelly’s :)

2. My second-hand searches are set for a pair of Maryam Nassir Zadeh slides. I love the low, block heel on these because, again, they are practical. I’m channeling a few images of Zoe Kravitz for this search.

3. The White Whale is a great denim jacket. I have a specific vision for the wash and cut. The best bet is going to be vintage Levi’s but I’d prefer to see/feel it in person because I don’t want anything that is too thick.

What are two things you recently thought you MIGHT buy, but said no to?

I really thought I wanted this Frame crochet cardigan. It was out of my budget so I saved it from every store I could find it from to my Carted list. I got the notification that it went on sale and I was amazed how that feeling of *want* just wasn’t there anymore.

I’m still a little haunted by these Enza Costa barrel pants but I’m pretty sure that they won’t fit me well (I’m pretty short) and they won’t be as versatile in my closet. I’m only 5’3” so I have to be diligent about checking inseam lengths OR I have to tailor things.

What's the most unexpected item you've ever bought?

I don’t wear a lot of jewelry so I surprised myself by splurging on a JuJu Vera collar necklace that I can’t take off. It was an investment for me but I couldn’t stop thinking about it for months and I either needed to buy it or forget it forever. As soon as it came I was amazed at the way it really adds the finishing touch to every single outfit I put on.

Is there a piece of clothing you’ve bought and love and wear on repeat because it is steeped in beautiful memories… can you share the mems?

In 2022, I fell in love with this Wandler purse I saw in a TikTok video. It wasn’t being produced anymore but I managed to track it down on Vestiaire Collective. It’s been my daily bag ever since. I’m not a purse girl, so when I find one that works for me I don’t need anything else.

I’ve traveled with the purse a lot so it has a lot of those memories attached to it. Last fall it came with me to Denmark which was my first time taking my kids to Europe and that was super special.

PS—There are no glamorous pictures of me with this bag so I’m trusting my internet friends will enjoy me chowing on a baguette!

Whose closet would you raid?

I’d love to get my paws on

Courtney

Grow’s closet. She seems to have an incredible vintage denim collection. But she also has such a pulse on brands that are coming up or trends that she integrates flawlessly into her genuine style.

Courtney in a delicious denim ensemble.

How much time per week do you think you spend browsing/researching/shopping?

Outside of researching for my newsletter (which takes hours each week), I’m probably browsing half an hour every night. As I see ideas through the day, I decompress in the bath and I’ll add new things to my Carted wishlist or I go through and cull the lists.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about you?

The biggest misconception I have about myself is that I’m going to arrive at my perfect style. That may be true for other people, but I’ve slowly learned that I will always be evolving my style and how I want to show up in the world via my clothes.

What does it look like inside Kelly Williams’ closet?

I’m pretty lucky to have a big closet (by the world’s standards but, perhaps, not according to the US) so I keep all my clothes out year round. So much of my stuff is folded on shelves because my husband gets more of the hanger space. But I will rotate my shoes and hanging items to make the seasonal stuff more prominent (the flip flops go away in winter). I have an enormous mirror but I’m such a diva because the background is a mess so I actually take my outfits out to my bedroom which is where I take most of my own outfit pictures.

You have an incredible Substack community, you’re across so many newsletters and POVs. How do you find yourself most ‘influenced to buy’ on here/what piques your interest enough that you’ll save something to your wishlist.

Generally I’m not influenced to buy a specific item, I’m influenced to begin my search for something. I write styling content and prefer to read styling content too and Substack is the perfect place to be inspired! Often I’ll see someone write about a trend they see, or what is helpful in their closet and that totally spurs me to find the version of that thing that would best work for me. I used to shop for the specific items that I saw on influencers and I’ve been so burned realizing the item didn’t work for me, or my lifestyle, etc. Now, for example, I’ll be inspired by seeing images of longer shorts and that will perk my attention for finding the right pair for me.

How do you feel about having an AI personal shopper? Is that the future of shopping?

Because I really love the discovery component of shopping; I struggle to answer this question. On the one hand, I don’t love the creep of AI into my life. I think I used to research a lot more but now an AI summary of a search takes a fraction of the time and is delivered at the top of the results page. BUT I imagine that an AI Personal Shopper could probably recommend some cool things that I wouldn’t have found on my own. I use Google Images frequently trying to find items that look like something I found in an image and that’s a version of AI shopping, I suppose.

Is there anything you hate about shopping/the shopping journey?

I struggle with the environmental implications of shopping. I hate that most things I want have to be ordered online which creates waste in packaging and leaves a carbon footprint in the shipping. I feel sad at the idea that people are ordering cheaply made clothing, wearing it once and then disposing of it. It genuinely feels hard to love fashion (and shopping!) but wrestle with the impact it has on the planet.

Not knowing who they are, can you write a question for the next person I interview?

What is one item you are always searching for? Maybe a specific item from a brand or something from a designer timeframe, etc.

Rapid Five

1. What city do you call home?

Denver, Colorado.

2. Favorite place to eat?

Barolo Grill is incredible Italian in Denver.

3. Favorite place to shop?

Both practically and aspirationally I am a Moda Operandi girl. Moda does such an incredible job curating the coolest brands; their team has an eye for smaller brands that always intrigue me. I also use the Gem app for a TON of my shopping because it’s scrubbing resale sites for keywords I’ve saved.

4. Favorite place to run/hike/pilates/yoga/dance/tennis

I play tennis every Saturday at any single court that is available.

5. Favorite coffee (tea/matcha/milkshake)?

I love mixing mint tea and lemonade.