The Afterparty Era: Why Euphoria’s Season Three Aesthetic Feels Off
As the characters step into adulthood, the show’s iconic makeup evolves alongside the uncomfortable realities of growing up after the glitter loses its gleam
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
When Euphoria first arrived, it detonated the rules of television makeup. Eyes glittered under convenience-store lighting. Rhinestones traced the edges of eyeliner. Teenage bedrooms became laboratories for gloss and gossip, colour and catastrophe.
The beauty language of the early seasons thrived on experimentation with characters treating makeup as emotional shorthand. A handful of crystals beneath the eye could communicate heartbreak with depth beyond dialogue.
For many viewers, the appeal was immediate. The show captured the sensation of youth, at full volume. Makeup functioned like an extension of the diary, amplifying what was already written across each character’s face.
Season three has been evolving that language. The characters are older now; the audience is too. What once read as youthful chaos begins to register as the early formation of personal style.
The afterparty era has arrived, and, honestly, at times, it’s hard to watch.
Gothic Glamour for the Riviera: A Sun-Proof, Noir-Luxe Fashion Edit
Late-night glamour inspired by 2026’s most iconic red carpet looks
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Gothic couture has been creeping across red carpets this year from the Oscars to the Grammy’s, the Met Gala and a host of premieres including Wuthering Heights, Devil Wears Prada 2, Euphoria Season 3 and more.
Seen in Chappell Roan and Anok Yai’s veils, in the way lace sits on Zoë Kravitz, in Jenna Ortega’s cutouts and the line of a slit on Mikey Madison, and in Margot Robbie’s leather mini alongside the feathered drama carried by Lady Gaga and Demi Moore; these haunting looks leave us inspired as we start shaping what we’ll wear to summer celebrations.
As your calendar fills with summer weddings, family get-togethers, rooftop parties and late-night celebrations, we’ve broken down three ways to pull gothic red carpet glamour into your looks this season.
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 our references, so subtle nods (or devoted homages) land on the first pass. They’re not studying the subculture by hovering above it; they’re inside it, responding as it shifts, letting that proximity shape what comes 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 they build pieces that feel unmistakably ours.
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.
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 ;).
35 Dark Feminine Fragrances: The Collector’s Guide
Curating a perfume cabinet stocked with a haunted selection of elegant scents
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
A well-chosen perfume behaves like a small portal. One mist alters the atmosphere. The room remains the same, yet something shifts. Suddenly the evening carries the suggestion of somewhere else. A garden after midnight. Salt wind from distant water. The memory of old houses lined with books.
The fragrances in this cabinet operate exactly this way. Each one offers a different passage into the world it evokes.
The Gothic Aromancer: Legend-Led Fragrance with Cursed
Inside Cursed, redefining fragrance through story-led composition
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Betrayed by the endless parade of luxury beauty counters and their soul-less, cookie-cutter curations, she was tirelessly searching for a fragrance that could mirror her darkness.
Light fractured across mirrored displays as she moved from counter to counter, the air thick with sweetness that clung and collapsed all at once. Bottles gleamed in identical rows, each promising something unforgettable, each dissolving before it could take hold. The scent shifted, blurred, soured and disappeared.
She was searching for something with depth. A cemetery after midnight. A raven stationed above. The carnivorous presence of a mid-century vampire moving through a crowded room, unnoticed but unmistakable.
Just as she began to abandon all hope, something sinful appeared in the distance. A evil flicker. A ominous glow. The air shifted as she approached, sweetness falling away. It was strange. Unsettling. Positively haunted. This is exactly what she was looking for.
From within, Cursed, the gothic Aromancer spoke, not in formulas, but in consequence. We listened as the process revealed itself: scent summoned from narrative, notes chosen for what they imply as much as what they are, compositions built slowly until the air feels altered.
Consider this your invitation into a world where each elixir is drawn from the air of aftermath, doomed from the moment it is composed. Complex and unforgettable.
Perfume, Composed from the Ground Up: A Conversation with Jill McKeever, Owner and Perfumer of For Strange Women
At For Strange Women, scent begins with raw botanicals, unfolding slowly against the skin
By: The Lace Ledger
Step into a world where perfume begins in the soil.
At For Strange Women, scent is cultivated, gathered, studied and coaxed into form through plant matter that still carries the memory of where it grew.
Each blend is built with intention. Each note arrives with purpose.
For those who find traditional fragrance overwhelming, this approach offers something else entirely. The compositions move gently, settling into the skin instead of sitting on top of it. What unfolds feels personal, shaped as much by the wearer as by the materials themselves. Owner and perfumer Jill McKeever gives us a behind-the-scenes look at her process and what comes next.
Your Summer Pinup Style Playbook
Bettie, Marilyn, Sophia, Elizabeth and Grace offer five different ways to approach vintage glamour
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Summer arrives with fresh possibilities.
Longer days stretch into sun-soaked afternoons. Plans take shape somewhere between a picnic, a beach day, a shopping excursion, a BBQ and the promise of staying out a little longer. The question of what to wear begins to bloom with possibility.
It is the perfect season to revisit a style that was built for exactly this kind of light; the pinup aesthetic has always belonged to summer.
The word “pinup” suggests a singular image. A confident woman. A defined silhouette. A certain kind of pose. In practice, it was never quite that narrow. The women who shaped the look approached it differently. Bettie Page preferred a little mischief with her looks while Marilyn Monroe embodied bombshell energy with the wiggle dress. Sophia Loren brought unforgettable curves to coastal glamour, Elizabeth Taylor treated every look like a high-contrast close-up and Grace Kelly moved through elegance with effortless control.
Each offers a distinct mood, forming a summer style guide of pinup-inspired possibilities, from cherry prints and polka dots to silhouettes that shift depending on who is wearing them.
Summer Skin Survival Guide: 7 Colour Correctors That Hold Up to Redness
From light touch to full coverage, cooling formulas to easy blends—these are the ones that actually work
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
After a long, dark winter, the return of sunlight is something to celebrate. It also marks the annual goth girlie battle with direct light on carefully cultivated complexions *goth hiss*.
So, how do you win the war against unwanted redness in the unrelenting gleam of summer sun? We can help.
We tested seven colour correctors to stay one step ahead. Here’s what we found.
The Dress That Changed Everything: @scarlettluxe on Vintage Style and Self-Perception
A reflection on confidence, chronic illness and the vintage-inspired pieces that make her feel most at home in her body
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Finding your personal style doesn’t happen all at once.
It begins with a spark. A beloved character. A lipstick shade. A silhouette that feels different. A moment where something clicks, even if you can’t quite explain why. From there, it unfolds slowly. Through trial and error. Through pieces that almost work, then don’t. Bad haircuts. Failed experiments. Through the gradual realization that style is less about arriving at a look and more about recognizing a feeling.
Below, one of our favourite working pinup models, Scarlett Luxe, offers a rare look into her experience of finding a personal style that feels entirely her own. From early fascination to the moment a single dress changed how she saw herself, her story moves through experimentation, confidence and the gradual shift toward dressing for her own gaze.
Along the way, she offers both perspective and practical insight, mapping a path that feels as personal as it does possible.
In the Atelier with Videnoir: Gothic Lingerie as Living Art
Darkly inspired designs created to be worn, and impossible not to photograph
By: Amanda Albert
Videnoir’s distinctly gothic visual language draws from a lifelong affinity for the dark, shaped by film, history, art, and architecture. This foundation is reinforced by more than fifteen years of dressmaking experience and a lineage rooted in corsetry and atelier work, carried forward through study and practice.
The design house moves with a near-devotional focus on precise pattern making and refined fit. Construction is approached with equal care, balancing comfort with a strong visual point of view. Each decision is made in close proximity to the body it is intended to shape.
In our conversation with Alice, Videnoir’s co-founder, we step inside the technical architecture behind each piece. She reflects on the references that inform the work, as well as the collections still to come.
Designed for the Divine: National Lingerie Day, Properly Observed
13 female-founded labels creating lingerie for the divine feminine
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
The divine feminine appears the moment instinct is no longer edited. She is intuitive, complicated, occasionally feral and entirely uninterested in being polite for the sake of someone else’s comfort. Lingerie designed for her does not attempt to smooth the edges, it celebrates the body exactly as it exists. Every curve. Every dimple. Even the sharp edge of your attitude.
In honour of National Lingerie Day, we gathered 13 labels founded by women who understand this philosophy intimately. These designers create pieces that treat lingerie as expression.
If your lingerie drawer has been feeling uninspired, the below designers have suggestions. Consider this your lingerie drawer upgrade.
After Dark: A Dark Feminine Guide to Spring Sleepwear
From vintage-inspired nightgowns to oversized bat robes, these pieces make midnight feel like a dress code
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
We respect the humble concert tee. It has carried many of us through late nights and questionable television choices.
Still, there are evenings that call for something slightly more interesting. A true-crime marathon deserves better. So does a smutty paperback, a midnight snack, or a last-minute girls’ night that somehow ends with someone opening a second bottle of wine.
We’ve curated a dark feminine sleepwear edit for evenings that deserve better styling.
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.
19 Female-Led Gothic Brands We Love
An International Women’s Day edit of dark feminine brands defining modern gothic fashion and beauty
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
These are the baddies that get us. The women building the pieces we actually want to wear because they exist inside the same subculture. They understand our references, our humour, our obsessions and our challenges.
They make cool shit that lands because it’s ours—designed by women who understand the pure joy of putting on an outfit that makes you feel totally yourself.
For International Women’s Day, and long after the hashtag fades, we love backing the women-led brands that create exceptional work inside our community, shaping the aesthetic we inhabit.
Beyond Black: Hilli’s Gothic Nail Guide
Hilli, your gothic nail tech, on seductive Dracula inspiration, jewel-toned classics and the future of dark nails
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
In a beauty landscape that churns through micro-trends at the speed of a scroll, Hilli moves differently. Her work does not chase relevance, it cultivates atmosphere. Each set is shaped by an instinct for contrast and a reverence for gothic detail that refuses to be rushed.
She approaches each nail set as an artist approaches a canvas, building miniature worlds where ombrés gleams against velvet shadow and milky white meets deliberate linework with surgical clarity. Spending in cosmetics refined her understanding of texture and balance long before she ever lifted a brush toward acrylic. What emerges now is not trend-driven gothic, but something steadier — a visual language that understands the dark aesthetic at its core.
The Bride, Reclaimed: Monstrous Femininity & the Gothic Feminist Revival
A dark feminine meditation on legacy, anger and creation—reframing The Bride of Frankenstein not as monster, but as muse
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
When a woman refuses to fall in line, history calls her monstrous. When she creates something from her own rage, it calls her dangerous.
The Bride of Frankenstein has been stuck in that purgatory, since her inception.
Born from stitched flesh and male ambition in the classic telling of The Bride of Frankenstein, she was never granted a meaningful existence. She appears, she recoils, she rejects and she is destroyed. Her autonomy is treated as an error in the experiment.
With the latest reimagining of The Bride, the cultural appetite has shifted. She is no longer a cautionary tale, but evolving from monster to dark feminine muse.
Dark Feminine Fashion Forecast: SS26 Style Through a Gothic Lens
A runway report and market edit translating Circuscore, Poetcore, Romantic Vamp and more
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Spring arrives with its unapologetic brightness goth hiss, with longer afternoons that press gold against the pavement and evenings that linger just enough to tempt bare shoulders into the open air.
Linen appears in shop windows. Florals begin their annual campaign for dominance. The sun stretches its reach across hemlines and collarbones, daring those of us sworn to shadow to soften our silhouettes in surrender.
Fear not, fellow darklings. Edge does not evaporate at twenty degrees.
This season’s designer trends offer a study in recalibration (not retreat), showcasing how dark feminine dressing can move with the heat while preserving its authority.
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.