May 2026
Inherit the Night
It starts earlier than you expect. In the music you hear first, in the clothes you reach for without thinking, in the way certain images and culture stay with you long enough to shape what comes next.
World Goth Day assigns a date, but it isn’t something that turns up on cue. It’s already there, moving through designers who build from instinct, through creators who show what that looks like in practice and through the spaces where we gather when we crave community.
This issue celebrates our gothic inheritance. The love-child of Tinkerbell & Harley Quinn, Sammitery conjures her own brand of NYC-born gothic style with the launch of Neverwhere. The Oddities & Curiosities Expo holds that same energy at scale, expanding across cities while keeping the feeling intact once you’re inside it. Paige Comrie approaches wine in an approachable way, choosing and pairing without overthinking, letting the experience lead.
Motherhood shifts the frame without changing the language. It shows up in what we gift new arrivals, how we celebrate our matriarchs and the gothic cult favourites we are eager to pass down.
It comes down to shaping what’s around us to match what we already know, celebrating it in full on World Goth Day and carrying it through in the way we host, gift, and raise the next generation of little weirdos.
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All articles are available now below.
Cover: Samantha Lubrano, designer of Neverwhere.
Style
Cover Story: Into Neverwhere with Sammitery
From punk beginnings to circus-coded silhouettes, Samantha Lubrano conjures her own brand of NYC-born gothic style
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
For goth girlies, Sammitery has become a social media staple, with viral DIY videos that move fast, make sense and translate to real life. From fashion to home decor, her no-bullshit approach is a breath of fresh air in a landscape overflowing with all things unrealistic and heavily filtered.
Last July, Sam transitioned from DIY icon to card-carrying fashion designer with the launch of the debut collection of her new line, Neverwhere. We step inside her studio to talk through where it started, how it evolved and what it looks like to build something from the inside out.
And yes, she spills her eyeliner secrets ;).
Spooky Swim Style Guide: What We’re Wearing to the Water This Summer
Five ways to approach swim when black still makes the most sense
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Sunshine and unrelenting heat tends to come with certain expectations. Bright colours. Less fabric. A general sense that you’re meant to look like you’re enjoying yourself. And that’s one option.
For those eagerly awaiting an alternate, we’ve got you. Whether you’re poolside, at the beach, or by the lake, consider this a set of styled suggestions designed to seamlessly supplement a dark feminine wardrobe.
The Dark Directory: 27 Gothic Brands We Love for World Goth Day
The exceptionally-talented designers shaping the subculture from within
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Iykyk. The gothic pieces that hit the mark tend to come from the same place we do, made in small runs by designers who already share the references, so nothing needs to be spelled out. They’re not studying the subculture by hovering above it; they’re inside it, responding as it shifts, letting that proximity shape what arrives next.
It’s evident in their work. Whether we're stepping inside haunted legend with Cursed, proudly sporting etymology from Shoppe of Stuff, shimmering in Rituel de Fille Formulations or haunting hallways in Blackwood Castle, we love these brands because build pieces that feel unmistakably ours.
Culture
19 of our Favourite Creators Defining Gothic Style & Culture Right Now
An inside look at the feeds setting the tone across fashion, beauty, home and culture
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
These are the accounts that make you pause mid-scroll because something about it calls to your dark heart. These creators are building looks, spaces and moments from inside the subculture, where the references don’t need explaining and the tone lands on the first pass.
That’s one of the many compelling things about gothic style. There isn’t only one version to follow. You move toward what holds your attention, whether that’s romantic silhouettes, dark academic interiors, corporate goth polish, pinup precision, southern gothic atmosphere, or something more vampy, spooky, witchy … the list goes on. It shifts, it overlaps, it gets refined over time and there’s room for all of it.
These creators show us the many facets of what that look likes in practice. Different approaches, different instincts, but all grounded in the same language. We come back to them for ideas and for recommendations, often sparking inspiration to be translated on the other side of the screen.
If you’re looking to evolve your style, your space, or just your feed, start here.
On the Road with the Oddities & Curiosities Expo
From a small hall in Tulsa to a multi-country tour, Michelle Cozzaglio takes us inside her traveling artist-led market grounded in community
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
It didn’t start as a multi-country tour. It started in a Legion in Tulsa, with a handful of vendors and a nagging concern internally wagering whether anyone else would show up for something this specific.
They did. And, they kept coming back.
Since then, the Oddities & Curiosities Expo has grown in size and in reach, expanding across cities, borders and communities that all recognize the same pull. What began as a focused market has evolved into something larger, without losing the distinct feel that made it work in the first place.
At its core, it offers connection for a subculture that seeks the strange. A place to meet the artists, spend time with the work and be surrounded by people who already understand what drew you there.
We sat down with co-founder Michelle Cozzaglio to discuss about how it all came together, and what it takes to keep that energy intact as it continues to grow.
Baby Bats: 19 Kid-Friendly Gothic Films and Cartoons
Spooky Saturday morning cartoons, mischievous monsters and friendly ghosts for the next generation of storm clouds
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Saturday morning has always come with a certain kind of magic.
Cartoons flicker on before the house fully woke up. In some lucky houses, ghosts, witches and strange little families moved across the screen with enchanting whimsy, inviting viewers inside a strange world all their own.
For parents looking to expand children’s programming beyond the usual rotation, this watchlist offers something with slightly more depth. Stories where the unusual is not something to fear, but something to enjoy.
This haunted curation spans generations, including familiar classics alongside newer programming that approaches the strange with the same sense of curiosity.
17 Fierce Mothers of Film & Television
A Mother’s Day watchlist honouring the absolute weapons who protected their children with strategy, violence, wit and conviction
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
This Mother’s Day watchlist is built on a different kind of devotion. One forged through sweat, blood, fire and deep inner strength of matriarchs that would do anything … and we mean anything … for the ones they love.
Motherhood is often framed as soft. It can be. It can also be something far more strategic. These women raise dragons, run empires, survive the end of the world, or dismantle anyone who mistakes care for weakness.
What they share is precision. Love becomes a decision. Protection becomes a method; nothing is left to chance.
Consider this a watchlist for the mothers who did not hesitate.This mother’s day watchlist born from the sweat, blood and tears of matriarchs that would do anything … and we mean anything … for the ones they love.
House & Haunt
Tales from the Crib: Three Delightfully Dark Gothic Baby Shower Themes
Spooky themes to celebrate the arrival of your little creature of the night
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
The door opens and the room settles into focus. Inky-black bats circle overhead as if they chose the place themselves, while a drift of small ghosts lingers at shoulder height, hovering like names waiting to be called. A cauldron holds at a patient boil in the corner, as though someone stepped away mid-incantation and never rushed back. It reads unmistakably gothic, a dark sensibility carried through every touchpoint with complete conviction.
Then the conversation turns to the expectant heroine at the centre of it all. Spooky is a spectrum. Weird leans whimsical. Fangs, it turns out, can be family friendly.
We cordially invite you to consider three goth-coded interpretations, each one designed to welcome a new arrival without asking the parent-to-be to soften her aesthetic.
Born to Blegh: Gothic Gifts for the Next Generation of Darklings
Everything needed to welcome your newest creature of the night, from first swaddle to first statement piece
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
If you’ve ever side-eyed a beige onesie, this is for you. Becoming a mother doesn’t mean stepping out of your style, it just means editing it for someone smaller, louder and very much along for the ride.
This guide pulls together the pieces that make that shift feel natural. Things you’d actually want in your space, on your baby and in your rotation while your baby bat grows. A little humour, a little attitude and enough personality to start things off properly.
Inspiration for the registry below.
Mother’s Day, the Gothic Way: Hosting Guide
Three atmospheric Mother’s Day celebrations that invite a darker palette and a little bit of mischief
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Motherhood produces many archetypes. Some wear linen and host polite patio brunches. Others keep antique silver beside tarot decks and charge their silly little rocks by moonlight.
This guide was written for the latter.
We’ve built three interpretations of the day, each one drawn from a different expression of dark feminine energy. The mood leads. The table follows. Music, menu, and gifts fall into place from there.
Brunch carries black cat energy. The afternoon drifts toward a cemetery picnic and a long spring walk. Dinner moves outdoors, set against cool evening air and early blooms, with candles marking the hour as it arrives.
Three ways to celebrate. All of them feel like her.
Sip Your Way Through Summer with Paige Comrie
From patio pours to travel-inspired bottles, @winewithpaige shares how to find the right bottle, pair it well and making the most of every pour
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
The world of wine can feel like an exclusive club, guarded by an impenetrable velvet rope and scary bouncer. Paige Comrie is that friend who’s always on the list and waves you through like you’ve belong all along. She welcomes you in, pours the glass and makes it all feel within reach.
Her approach doesn’t rely on jargon or ceremony. It’s grounded in curiosity, built through experience and shaped by a genuine interest in the glass and the story it carries with it. A Sauvignon Blanc can take you to New Zealand. A chilled red can shift the tone of a summer table. The right pairing can turn a simple meal into something especially memorable.
Paige introduces wine as a passport, to different worlds and regions alike, sharing how to choose a bottle without second-guessing, how to pair it in a way that makes sense, and even what to do when a spill threatens to leave a mark.