Winter’s Armour: The Outerwear Trends That Refuse to Yield to the Snow
From sculptural funnel necks to liquid finishes, this season’s coats are made to be seen — not hidden
Winter doesn’t signal the death of style — it’s the stage for it. The months ahead invite bold silhouettes and tactile drama, not shapeless layers meant to conceal.
The FW25 collections proved that outerwear can be sculpture and shield all at once. Designers showing collections across London, Paris, New York and Milan fashion weeks turned the season’s chill into show-stopping moments, introducing three dominant directions: the funnel neck coat, the revival of shearling and faux fur and the high-shine allure of liquid-look textures.
For those who dress with intent, these pieces extend your aesthetic rather than obscure it. Each trend offers a different form of power — structured, sensual, surreal — echoing the gothic principle that what protects can also seduce.
The Sagittarius Edit: Tailored Chaos Meets Celestial Confidence
Bold, magnetic and untameable — this season belongs to the zodiac’s wild-hearted muse
The spotlight turns toward Sagittarius — the archer, the philosopher, the wanderer who refuses to stay still.
Ruled by Jupiter, they embody expansion in every sense. Their wardrobes mirror their spirits: fearless and expressive, always in motion.
From Sketch to Sculpture: André Perugia’s Footwear Revolution
There are designers who follow fashion, and then there are those who build its foundation. André Perugia was certainly one of the latter. Known as one of the first truly modern shoe designers, Perugia treated footwear not as accessory, but as architecture. His creations stretched the imagination of what a shoe could be — sculptural, surreal, imaginative; often defying gravity and logic, but never elegance.
Now, in its latest exhibition André Perugia: A Design Legend Unveiled, the Bata Shoe Museum pays homage to the man who turned functional necessity into wearable art. Running through April 2026, the show explores Perugia’s groundbreaking influence from the 1920s to the 1950s, tracing how his designs reshaped both the fashion industry and the consumer’s eye.
The Art of Adornment: Gothic Accessories to Obsess Over
Because style lives in the details
Accessories are the punctuation marks of an outfit — the subtle embellishments that transforms attire into identity. In alternative fashion especially, adornment is more than decoration; it’s declaration. A scarf can frame a mood, gloves can whisper seduction, a necklace can turn mourning into mythology. The gothic wardrobe lives in this space between function and fantasy — where accessories tells the story before a word is spoken.
The practice of adorning the body stretches back to the first civilizations. Shoes evolved from necessity to symbol, their craftsmanship tied to class and ceremony. Jewellery became a form of language, used to signify faith, fortune or defiance. Bags emerged as both practical companions and intimate vaults of selfhood. Across centuries, these items have moved from the margins of fashion to the forefront of self-expression — extensions of who we are and what we choose to reveal.
The Texture of Power: How to Style Black-on-Black With Depth and Mood
Some say black is “safe”. We say black is sovereign.
In the realm of gothic fashion, black-on-black is not a fallback—it’s a love language. A seduction. A study in shadow and contrast, restraint and drama.
But not all black is created equal, and mastering this palette means learning to speak in texture and silhouette.
This isn’t minimalism. This is mystery wrapped in velvet and cinched in leather.
Gothic Outerwear Edit FW25: Bold Jackets & Coats to Rule the Season
Where drama meets discipline: FW25 outerwear takes shape in capes, suede, moto cuts, and sculptural silhouettes
This season, outerwear carries the weight of character. Designers carved silhouettes that recall gothic romance — garments meant to move through the night with mystery and authority.
At Alexander McQueen, capes returned as statements of power, cut with precise shoulders that framed the body like sculpture while Ralph Lauren softened with brushed suede and tactile wool, grounding the gothic sensibility in quiet luxury. Courrèges brought its signature futurism to the classic moto, exaggerating seams and metalwork until rebellion felt refined. Finally, Schiaparelli elevated tailoring into art with blazers molded to the torso, echoing the architectural lines of cathedrals.
Every piece this fall hints at transformation — a merging of sensuality, structure and shadow that defines gothic elegance for the modern age.
Leather Weather: Gothic Archetype Essentials for Fall Winter 2025
From Archetypal Armour to Affordable Alternatives
Every autumn, the mainstream calls it sweater weather — soft knits, pumpkin spice, cozy clichés. But for the gothic soul, it’s something darker, sharper and infinitely more seductive: leather weather.
Since the earliest days of goth culture, leather has been compulsory — not just as a style choice, but as an act of defiance. From post-punk’s studded jackets to the fetish-inspired glamour of the 1980s, leather has always signaled rebellion and resilience, stitched into the seams.
Of course, high-quality leather can be extremely expensive (and rightly so). The cost comes from craftsmanship and durability–a well-made leather piece can last decades, becoming an heirloom of rebellion. But goths have always been resourceful — vegan leather and faux alternatives make the aesthetic accessible at every budget. Whether you’re splurging on handcrafted hides or opting for cost-friendly vegan leather, leather weather is available to every archetype and every price point.
Novelty Purses: A Gothic Celebration of Whimsy
From spooky clutches to crystal confections, celebrate National Handbag Day with fashion’s most playful rebellion
October 10 marks National Handbag Day, and what better way to celebrate than with the pure joy of novelty purses? These small-scale works of art remind us that fashion is not only about function — it’s about play and imagination. A coffin-shaped clutch, a book turned into a bag, or a crystal-encrusted martini glass: novelty purses prove that style can have both substance and sparkle.
Cathedral-Core: Gothic Fashion’s Ode to Architecture
How gothic cathedrals inspire the runway, the wardrobe and the home
World Architecture Day (October 6) is a celebration of the structures that shape our lives and our imaginations — and in the world of fashion, few inspirations loom larger than the gothic cathedral.
Rising in popularity this season under the banner of cathedral-core, we see runway looks evoking stained glass hues as well as patterns inspired by soaring spires and ribbed ceilings.
From couture gowns traced with echoes of ornamental stone work to ready-to-wear silhouettes modelled after vaulted arches, the fashion world is turning to stone (literally) for inspiration.
The Sacred Act of Embodiment: Lace, Lingerie and Dressing for Your Own Gaze
Lace has always carried a duality — delicate in form, yet unyielding in presence. Once reserved for royalty, widows and ceremonies of power, lace has outlived centuries of shifting hemlines to remain an eternal emblem of femininity.
On this National Lace Day (October 1), we celebrate lace not as an accessory, but as a divine feminine ritual — a symbol of strength and seduction that transcends time.
To wear lace is to embody contradiction. It is at once armour and invitation, shielding the body in intricate patterns while revealing just enough to disarm. Lace whispers of power cloaked in vulnerability, and vulnerability sharpened into power in equal measure. In its threads, softness and sovereignty entwine — the very essence of feminine command.
Twilight Pirouette: A Balletcore Style Guide for the Romantic Goth
Glide from pale morning poses to midnight reveries in an aesthetic tribute that is poetry in motion
Graceful and hauntingly intentional, Balletcore doesn’t only belong to exclusive stages or mirror studios – it can thread seamlessly into daily life. The Romantic Goth archetype carries her dark-hearted elegance into errands, coffee dates and quiet workdays without losing an ounce of poetry.
The attire of working ballerinas, both on and off stage, is architecture for movement. From 19th century tutus with layers of gauzy tulle designed to catch candlelight to the silhouette-hugging bodices and wrap sweaters that showcase the dancers' form we know today, ballet fashion has balanced discipline with ethereality. Pointe shoes, satin ribbons and flowing skirts have become symbols of grace, fragility and rigour all at once; uniforms that demand precision and creativity.
In curating this guide, we pay homage to those historic shapes: the clinging wrap, the sculpted torso, the diaphanous skirt, the pointe shoes–all reimagined for everyday wear, where echoes of the stage linger on city streets.
Silk & Sense: A Gothic Guide to Splurge vs. Save
Where to invest in timeless pieces and where to stretch your dollar without sacrificing style.
Not every purchase can—or should—be an investment piece. For the gothic creative, it’s as much about discernment as desire: knowing when to seek out timeless quality that will carry you through years of wear, and when to save your coin for other passions.
Consider this your Ledger guide to building a wardrobe and home that balances romance with practicality—elevating your life while keeping it sustainable.
Venus Said Yes: A Libra Season Style Edit
Harmonizing elegance with edge for the zodiac’s reigning aesthetes
Happy Birthday, Libra!
It’s Libra season, and we’re raising a glass (crystal, of course) to the sign of balance, beauty and exceptional taste. Each month we curate a style edit for the astrological muse of the moment, and this one belongs to Libra—the eternal romantic, the style icon, the social butterfly cloaked in grace.
From Mourning to Midnight: Goth-Coded FW25 Fashion Week Trends
Dark-souled dressers, rejoice; this year’s Fall/Winter fashion week has unveiled its fashion prophecies—many designers across Paris, Milan, London and New York integrated gothic themes into their collections with exquisite precision.
From Alexander McQueen’s hauntingly beautiful black gowns to Dolce & Gabbana’s smoldering sequin slip dresses and Thom Browne’s poetic dark academia elegy, the runways became altars of goth-coded reinvention, celebration, evolution and worship.
These otherworldly artistic portraits bled outward, guiding RTW houses—and all of us—to lace these themes into our daily wardrobes.
Below is the full Ledger — 11 gothic archetypes, each paired with designers whose FW25 collections embodied her contradictions, her strength, her spell. Below, we’ve pulled runway inspiration and tips on how to incorporate couture signatures into her closet.
For shoppable FW25 capsule wardrobes, check out part two here.
Noir Now: Your Shoppable Guide to FW25 Gothic Fashion
When the runway lights dim, the hunt begins. FW25 left us longing for structured suits, sumptuous fabrics and dark romantic details—but you don’t need a couture budget to indulge.
This shoppable edit curates the best ready-to-wear pieces that encapsulate the season’s goth-coded mood without breaking the bank.
Here, you’ll find accessible leather (and vegan leather) jackets, impeccably tailored blazers, romantic lace dresses, gauzy ruffles; each curated both aligned with the season’s trends and to become staple pieces in your wardrobe going forward.
Inherit the Night: Discover Your Gothic Archetype
What does “gothic style” mean? If you ask the average person, they’ll likely describe the trad goths (or mall goths) of our youth – head-to-toe black, piercings, heavy makeup, perceived love of horror movies and heavy metal.
While that archetype does hold space, it’s only one shade in a much richer palette of gothic expression. Some of us are perpetually pensive, some are mischievous, some find joy in seduction, some haunt the board room while others convene with nature and the constellations – and we all have different aesthetics.
We invite you to explore the many facets of dark femininity through archetypal discovery, uncovering which persona resonates with your inner darkness. None of us are only one thing, but each has a dominant current (or two) running through her marrow.
The Lace Ledger’s Alt Brand Directory
A guide for the poetic, the provocative and the perpetually overdressed
Honouring your gothic archetype is not solely about fashion—it’s about devotion to aesthetic and experiential autonomy. Whether you drape yourself in lace like armor, stalk city streets in leather, or serve corset-core by candlelight, this directory is for you.
Curated with care, every brand listed here lives at the intersection of darkness and desire.
Otherworldly Scents: A Gothic Guide to Perfumes That Cling to Shadows
A perfume guide for the romantically defiant
A spritz of perfume is the final touch, the last defiance before stepping out into the world - a sensory cue announcing your arrival to the next room you enter. Applied delicately at the wrist or whispered at the throat, we offer our signature scent like a secret to those close enough to pick up the notes.
When a perfume entwines with your chemistry, it becomes singular, unforgettable, distinctly yours. Choose wisely and it can follow you through decades, as recognizable as your laughter or handwriting.
Perfume has an ancient lineage: once pressed from resins, oils and rare flowers for monarchs and places of worship, later distilled for courts and lovers. They’ve always existed in the space between adornment and power, commanding the attention of the senses.
What follows is a guide to fragrance by The Lace Ledge archetypes, each one matched to a scent that carries her presence into every room and leaves the air changed after she’s gone.
6 Haute Couture Houses With Deep Goth Energy
Where velvet bleeds, silhouettes whisper and darkness dazzles.
Couture is art that the fortunate few get to live inside – but its stories belong to all of us.
Each collection is a narrative stitched in silk and shadow, and we love when those stories lean hauntingly beautiful and unapologetically macabre.
With baited breath, we await collections with mourning veils delicately draped, corsets sculpting silhouettes into regal statues, 90s grunge colliding with Victorian vampires and runways drowning in tulle, velvet and lace.
We’ve curated a shortlist of six goth-coded couture houses that consistently stir our imaginations.
The Lace Ledger’s Gothic Jewellery Directory
Jewellery is memory made wearable. A ring can whisper revenge. A choker can signify surrender. A brooch can become a family sigil. Here are six brands that understand that adornment is ritual.