Letter from the Editor
2026 has been an exceptional year for creativity in the alternative space, from the expertly crafted heirlooms of tomorrow to the musicians composing the anthems that will define this chapter of our lives. Beyond the artistry, there's the mettle we're made of, revealed in moments of adversity and the courage it takes to face life's greatest uncertainties. Together, these expressions of strength and imagination have inspired our November (Heavy) Metal issue, an ode to what we create, what moves us and what we're made of.
The issue begins with a journey into the great unknown. Our cover star, Anastacia Anastascio, The Spiritual Goth, explores spirituality, inviting us to experience a past-life regression firsthand. Funeral director and embalmer Emily Murman offers a moving perspective on the care behind our final farewells. We also spend an evening among the living and dead at historic Ruthven Park.
From matters of the soul, we turn to the romance of treasured possessions. We venture inside the imaginative world of Petals & Poison, where founder Jená Bhone continues to expand her artistic repertoire beyond her iconic gothic jewellery designs. Silver and gold take centre stage in our dark feminine jewellery capsule, accompanied by statement rings, battle-inspired designs and finishing touches worthy of the grandest entrances.
Then, we turn up the volume. Musician Max Madly welcomes us into her Garden of Neglect, while our Alternative Music Class of 2026 introduces emerging talent deserving of your attention. Naturally, we've dressed for the occasion with a concert style edit that takes us from the dressing room to the front row.
And, finally, with the festive season approaching, a little anticipation is in order. Discover 25 dark feminine advent calendars and our holiday gift guide celebrating the independent artists who make alternative culture so creatively rich.
All articles are available below.
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With devotion,
Amanda
Cover: Courtesy of Anastacia Anastascio, The Spiritual Goth. Photography: Madeline Stanley (@Madexposure).
Style
Cover Story | A Higher Education: Meet Anastacia, The Spiritual Goth
The former English teacher brings an educator's perspective to spiritual practice, inviting a more thoughtful conversation about tarot and personal growth
By: Amanda Albert
The endlessly curious have a talent for finding new subjects worthy of their fascination. Anastacia Anastascio, The Spiritual Goth, has three Master's degrees and a voracious appetite for exploration that eventually led her beyond the classroom and into the realm of the metaphysical. Her professional journey began teaching English, but a spiritual awakening during the pandemic inspired an unexpected change of course. What started as a personal pursuit soon became a new vocation, giving her academic training fresh purpose in spiritual education.
Today, Anastacia brings an educator's perspective to a subject often surrounded by misconceptions. She encourages people to examine their inner lives with greater honesty, even when the discoveries are uncomfortable. She's also setting the record straight on a few tarot myths, challenging long-held assumptions about the cards and what it actually means to read them.
We caught up with Anastacia to revisit the turning points that shaped her career and explore the philosophy behind her teachings.
The Fine Art of Farewell: Insights From Funeral Director and Embalmer Emily Murman
Known on social as @theautisticmortician, Emily shares a compassionate account of the customs and care surrounding death in the USA
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Even the most articulate among us can find ourselves searching for words when confronted with death and grief. Perhaps our discomfort with the unknown explains why we're often reluctant to ask what happens behind the doors of a funeral home.
Emily Murman, the licensed funeral director and embalmer known on social media as @theautisticmortician, is helping make those conversations a little easier. Her candour offers a compassionate introduction to a profession many of us know surprisingly little about, revealing the meticulous attention given to those in its care. Emily also brings the perspective of an autistic woman who has experienced profound personal loss, giving her an intimate understanding of what grieving families may be facing. Her advice on supporting someone through bereavement is especially thoughtful, acknowledging that grief follows no prescribed course.
Emily's creative pursuits extend well beyond the funeral home. An accomplished poet, she explores the complicated relationship between our physical bodies and our understanding of mortality. She's also collaborating with professional workwear brand MEA, advocating for clothing that accommodates the physical demands of funeral service.
We spoke with Emily about the experiences that drew her to mortuary science, the importance of honouring individuality and how working with the dead has encouraged her to live more authentically.
Where the Wild Things Wither: Max Madly's Garden of Neglect
Meet the genre-defying musician bringing an affection for horror to her haunting debut album
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
A guitar riff creeps in like an ominous apparition. Somewhere in the distance, a voice rises, beautiful... and vaguely threatening. The atmosphere grows heavier, and before long, the haunting melody begins to sound like a warning.
Enter the symphonic garden of Max Madly, where flora, fauna and decay make for intimate companions. Over a decade of classical training meets a rebellious affection for punk in her distinctive take on alternative rock, with compositions that wouldn't sound out of place in a horror film.
Madly's debut studio album, Garden of Neglect, arrived October 2, inviting listeners into a strange musical landscape where life flourishes alongside the rot. “Bones of Ours” is a personal favourite, its magnetic intensity making it difficult to resist another listen.
We had the pleasure of stepping into Max's studio to explore the influences behind her music and discover where her imagination might wander beyond the garden gate.
Raising Hell: The Alternative Music Class of 2026
From metal royalty to rising renegades, meet the goth-coded musicians dominating the airwaves
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Alternative music fans have been spoiled for choice this year. Our playlists have barely kept pace with the steady stream of releases, spanning everything from industrial metal to Southern gothic rock. Familiar names have returned with fresh material, while a new generation of artists has been making plenty of noise of its own. Between full-length albums, EPs and standalone singles, there's been no shortage of reasons to turn up the volume.
We've rounded up our standouts from 2026, featuring established acts with gothic household-name status alongside breakout talent you might still have the chance to catch in an intimate venue before they're selling out arenas.
Before My Time: My Past-Life Regression Experience With The Spiritual Goth
What happened when I explored a past life under Anastacia's guidance
By: Amanda Albert
I step into the kitchen. It's a small room, sparsely furnished, yet somehow it feels empty. A pot of salty porridge sits on an old-fashioned coal stove, left over from breakfast, but something inside me knows better than to throw it away. We'll need what's left tomorrow.
Faded blues and greens lend this farmhouse a dreary disposition, their colours softened by the grey light filtering through a weathered window above the sink. An old metal milk container stands beside the door. A wooden table occupies the centre of the room, surrounded by five chairs, although only four match. The air smells of damp earth, and my leather work boots feel heavy against the floor.
A calendar hangs on the wall, its lettering written in a language I cannot, today, understand. The illustration tells me it's May, although the chill in the air suggests otherwise. I seem to be somewhere in Eastern Europe, sometime during the 1800s.
I've never seen this kitchen before. I don't recognize the food or understand the language on the calendar. Yet, in this moment, I carry the weight of a life I don't recognize.
Somewhere beyond this farmhouse, in another time and place, Anastacia Anastascio The Spiritual Goth is guiding me through a past-life regression.
Grave Expectations: An Evening Among the Living and Dead at Ruthven Park
Victorian superstitions meet historic grandeur during a lantern-lit cemetery tour at one of Ontario's most intriguing estates
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
The road to Ruthven Park is almost worth the journey alone. Winding lanes carry us through the Ontario countryside, where autumn leaves burn copper and gold against the crisp sky. A grand 19th-century mansion awaits beyond the gatehouse, surrounded by the sprawling grounds of a historic family estate.
Just before Halloween, we visited Ruthven Park National Historic Site in Cayuga, Ontario, for The Mansion in Mourning: Séances, Superstitions & Haunted Cemetery Tour. The evening promised an introduction to Victorian funeral traditions, followed by a lantern-lit excursion among the headstones of the Thompson family cemetery.
Excellent plans for an October evening, if you ask us.
Style
Artful Endeavours: Inside the Imaginative World of Petals & Poison
Behind the gothic jewellery brand is a multidisciplinary artist with an appetite for creative exploration
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Jená Bhone always has another idea brewing; her creative résumé speaks to an eagerness to explore new possibilities and the courage to pursue them.
The founder of Petals & Poison began her career creating storyboards for Disney alongside painting doll heads at her parents' dining room table. She's since transformed her affection for Victorian antiques into an independent gothic brand specializing in heirloom-quality jewellery, artfully designed teaware and limited-run clothing. Most recently, she's embraced fragrance and tea blending as new creative outlets, adding a new dimension of sensory-led atmospheric storytelling experiences.
Each pursuit offers a new creative challenge, though there's a common thread running through them all: Jená knows how to build a world worth getting lost in.
Since founding Petals & Poison in 2014, she's developed her signature Nu Antiques aesthetic around an appreciation for historical craftsmanship with her designs feeling as though they carry stories of their own.
We caught up with Jená to revisit the early experiments that started it all. She reflects on her adventures in artistic entrepreneurship and offers a glimpse of what might come next for Petals & Poison.
Rock Royalty: 13 Gothic Statement Rings That Steal the Show
An all-star lineup of wearable works of art worthy of a standing ovation
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Every exceptional jewellery collection needs a show-stopping headliner, and these rings have no interest in playing backup. From anatomical hearts to raven talons, we're turning up the volume with an impressive repertoire of standout, sculptural creations.
Meet the designs commanding centre stage, each bringing its own brand of rockstar excess.
Fresh from the Forge: Battle Ready Jewellery with a Deadly Disposition
An arsenal of wearable weaponry for those who prefer their accessories armed and dangerous
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Someone's been raiding the armoury, and we have a few suspects…
Though, these instruments of destruction have undergone a chic transformation. Medieval menace meets modern mischief as swords are miniaturized for necklaces and daggers dangle from unsuspecting earlobes. Even the flail and the scythe have found second life in fine accessories.
Once bound for the battlefield, these miniature marvels have found a much more fashionable calling. We've rounded up some heavy artillery for those who prefer a little danger in their dressing. No combat training required.
Black Tie, Black Heart: Gothic Jewellery for Grand Entrances & Late Nights
Old-world glamour meets haunted romance in a collection made for your most anticipated engagements
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
The invitations are arriving, the champagne is chilling and the impending holiday party season is giving us every excuse to dress extravagantly.
Don't expect your grandmother's pearls, unless Grandma had a few skeletons in her jewellery box... Here, spiders are rendered in exquisite silver and skulls find themselves in sophisticated company. Victorian mourning hands lend a sentimental touch, while Art Deco influences bring a little Jazz Age decadence to the proceedings. Every detail has been carefully considered, including those that might raise an eyebrow across the dinner table.
These are the finishing touches that become the main attraction. Each exquisitely crafted piece has a story to tell and a remarkable talent for starting conversations, with enough elaborate detail to reward a second glance. A crowded social calendar provides plenty of excuses to indulge in jewellery worthy of the occasion.
Precious Metals: The Dark Feminine Jewellery Capsule
Build your signature collection with nine must-have pieces in silver or gold
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Life gets busy, and while we all appreciate a standout statement piece, there's something to be said for having an intentionally curated jewellery collection that simply works together. Not perfectly matched sets, mind you—think sisters, not twins. A modest selection of complementary pieces you can mix freely, pairing your favourite earrings with a well-loved necklace or stacking bracelets without giving it a second thought.
Some pieces carry sentimental value. Others become familiar favourites you reach for almost daily. All of them earn their place by working beautifully with the pieces you already own. They're the finishing touches that can take an outfit from hurriedly thrown together to thoughtfully styled, even when you've only got five minutes to get out the door.
Whether you favour silver or gold, we've identified the nine essentials to help build a cohesive collection with plenty of personality. These are the hardworking little treasures you'll find yourself reaching for again and again.
From Dressing Room to Standing Room: The Concert Style Edit
Three dark feminine looks made for loud, late nights
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
The tickets are secured, and your fall/winter concert calendar is looking raaaaaather promising. Now, the million-dollar question: what are we wearing?
Dressing for a show in the colder months presents a particular challenge: you'll need to brave the elements before finding yourself in a venue that's approximately a thousand degrees.
We've assembled three dark feminine concert looks with enough punch to suit just about any band on your schedule. Whether you're headed for the mosh pit or the VIP balcony, consider your wardrobe officially on tour.
Subculture in the Spotlight: Manchester's Inaugural Alternative Fashion Week
Pretty Disturbia's Leesa Bertram O'Neill turns six days of independent fashion into a citywide celebration
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
For the true-blue fashion girlies among us, there's an intangible magic to fashion week that no shopping experience can replicate. Even your favourite boutique offers only a glimpse of what a designer envisions; on the runway, an entire creative vision comes alive. Music sets the emotional tempo as makeup and styling reveal the collection's beating heart, while models stalk the runway with an intensity that brings each look to life.
And then there's the intimacy of it all. You're witnessing the birth of something that may have taken years to imagine and months to create, among the very first people to see that vision fully realized. It's an experience you never forget.
You can imagine our excitement, then, when Manchester announced its inaugural Alternative Fashion Week, that took place October 20–25, 2026. Behind the ambitious undertaking was Leesa Bertram O'Neill, a Manchester Metropolitan University fashion graduate and the founder of independent alternative fashion label Pretty Disturbia.
Gift Guide
Shop Small, Think Big: The Independent Artist Alternative Holiday Gift Guide
One-of-a-kind treasures and thoughtfully crafted gifts from the small businesses shaping the future of gothic fashion, beauty and design
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Behind some of the most exciting creations in alternative fashion and design are independent artists whose imaginations continue to shape the culture we love. Their work deserves our attention, especially when so much of what we buy is mass-produced and made to be forgotten.
A one-of-a-kind original carries its own significance, while small-batch collections offer a different kind of appeal through their commitment to craftsmanship and thoughtful production. Every purchase is an opportunity to support the creative community, champion independent talent and help ambitious new ideas find their footing.
This holiday season, give something personal and beautifully considered, knowing your gift is also an investment in the artists pushing alternative culture forward.
No Peeking: 25 Dark Feminine Advent Calendars with Soft Goth Appeal
An enticing assortment of little luxuries to savour throughout December
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Christmas can have its candy canes and cheerful elves, with all our love and nostalgia. We're dreaming of a Victorian Yule, where mulled cider warms by the fire and candlelight flickers against frost-covered windows.
Our countdown brings a touch of that old-world holiday spirit into the present, with 25 carefully chosen calendars that indulge our soft goth sensibilities. Some favour the macabre, while others simply have a taste for the finer things. There's something for a range of budgets, with daily discoveries spanning everything from beauty counters to cocktail cabinets.