Current Issue
‘Til Death
March 2026
Dearest Dark Petals,
There is an affirming gravity to devotion when it aligns with your soul; it feels like coming home.
This issue considers not weddings alone, but the architecture of commitment in all its forms — to a partner, to a creative vision, to a body of work, to an untamed self. Ceremony appears here in many registers. In Linda Friesen’s atelier, historical silhouettes are rendered unmistakably modern, where bridal black and unconventional use of colour read as darkly romantic elegance. Our hosting guides reimagine engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelorettes and weddings as immersive experiences shaped by moody aesthetic.
International Women’s Day moves through these pages with clarity. Five female tattoo artists reflect on artistry and the business of tattooing. Dr. Jess O’Reilly speaks to intimacy as an evolving practice. Lori Dylan breaks down spring rituals and using tarot in an accessible way. We revisit monstrous femininity through The Bride as a study in reclaimed autonomy.
Devotion, in these pages, is not a vow spoken once. It is the daily choice to remain aligned.
Thank you for reading, for subscribing and for making space for a community that doesn’t flinch at the unconventional.
For free, subscribe below and/or read the full issue digitally here.
With devotion,
Amanda
Cover Credits:
Designer: Linda Friesen
Photography: Muse&Mirror
Bride: Julia Löwen
Feature Articles
A Study in Devotion: In the Studio with 5 Female Tattoo Artists Shaping the Future of Wearable Art
A conversation on craft, commitment and creating work meant to be carried for life with Jenna Kerr, Kristine Vodon, Marily Letendre, Miranda Boire and Jasmine Hernandez
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
On March 21, World Tattoo Day invites us to step into the studio and look closely at the discipline behind wearable art. By the artists devoted the craft, tattooing is not treated as trend or aesthetic shorthand; it’s a processed built on laborious preparation, artistic rigour, humble client services, thoughtful storytelling and responsibility.
In speaking with Jenna Kerr, Kristine Vodon, Marily Letendre, Miranda Boire and Jasmine Hernandez, a shared theme becomes clear: they talk about composition before execution, they discuss anatomy as much as imagery and explain the reverent weight of permanence. Each artist approaches the body as a living canvas that must be considered carefully because what they create will live there forever.
This conversation sheds light on the complex business of tattooing from the creative process to studio management and client collaboration, by women whose careers are built on commitment to the creativity and business savvy in equal measure.
Fire Horse, Forward: Lori Dylan on Working With Spring’s Momentum
On accessible tarot, grounded rituals for spring and the heat of Fire Horse energy
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Spring arrives with forward motion, and Lori Dylan meets it without any theatrics. Her approach to tarot resists over-the-top spectacle and is, instead, grounded in clarity, framing the cards as conversation.
Raised with Indigenous lineage and mentored by a witch, she speaks about ritual the way others speak about productive habits or discipline—something lived, repeated and refined over time.
In our conversation, this Lunar calendar’s Fire Horse energy is framed as a current of momentum that asks for our participation. As the season turns (finally!), she offers grounded ways to work with energy, allowing ritual to exist in ordinary life in an accessible, intentional way.
The (Haunted) Fairytale Atelier: A Conversation with Linda Friesen
Exploring the gothic imagination behind one of bridal fashion’s most distinctive couturiers
By: Amanda Albert
Once upon a time, a wonderfully weird bride wandered through an endless forest of boring bridal salons brimming with underwhelming ivory gowns. Every rack looked the same, every dress scrubbed of mystery. How dull and disappointing…
At the edge of that forest, stood a delightfully different door. Inside waited an atelier where soft velvet replaces itchy tulle, where storied shadows are welcomed in for afternoon tea and beautiful brides who dream in darker colours bring their visions to life <3.
That atelier, our atelier, belongs to Linda Friesen, a designer whose work reads like myth rendered in real-life. From her studio, Friesen creates gowns shaped by historical memory, narrative imagination, fantasy + fairytale and a romantic gothic sensibility that allows fantasy to coexist with expert craftsmanship.
Brides arrive at her door in search of something that doesn’t exist on ordinary racks, then leave carrying a garment that feels born from their most authentic selves.
In Friesen’s world, couture becomes a form of storytelling, with every seam, silhouette and shade serving the spell of a dark fairytale. Here, we step inside her studio as she reflects on the stories that shape her signature style.
Dark Feminine Devotion: A Gothic Engagement Ring Guide for Your Beloved
Six shadow-kissed styles for your forever
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Goth girlies love diamonds too; they simply prefer them with a pulse. The question is never whether to choose brilliance, but how to shape it into something that feels like her—dark without drifting into costume, romantic without collapsing into kitsch.
An engagement ring carries the weight of promise, which makes discernment essential, especially when taste leans toward velvet shadows and cathedral light. The line between dramatic and theatrical can be perilously thin, and devotion deserves better than novelty.
Consider this a guide through that threshold, where edge meets heirloom and symbolism holds its nerve.
About Us
The Lace Ledger is a gothic-inspired digital magazine for romantics, misfits and dark-femmes who live just outside the lines.
It’s a space for style, culture, decor, discourse, the arts, wellness, travel, intentional living and beyond — created for those who never fully saw themselves in mainstream media.
For those seeking a publication that values elegance with attitude, this is for you.
Founded by writer and poet Amanda Albert, The Lace Ledger blends fashion, literature and cultural curation into a digital anthology where depth meets decadence and personal style becomes its own form of storytelling.
Whether you come for the fashion, the poetry or the watch lists, we cordially invite you into a world shaped by dark feminine aesthetic with a splash of defiance.
Here you’ll find:
Style — fashion, accessories, beauty and the gothic archetypes that inspire them.
Literature + the Arts — original and beloved poetry, reading lists, gallery and bookstore recommendations, artist and author features and more.
Culture — music, film, television and fun for the romantic and the restless.
House & Haunt — moody interiors, darkly refined entertaining and decor.
Gift Guides — curated for every occasion and recipient.
Subscribe to receive our monthly edit — a curated delivery of style, culture and quiet luxury.
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We welcome collaborations with brands, creators, artists, writers and experts who share our taste for the uncommon.