Ch-ch-ch-Changes on the Fashion Frontline

In this week’s fashion and lifestyle round-up, more than a few stars were exploring innovative avenues, with exciting results.

Keeping up with the times, Marc Jacobs made a casting call for models via Instagram and Twitter. Following the huge success of a similar program last year, thousands posted photos of themselves with the hashtag #castmemarc in the hope of catching the designer’s eye.

Louis Vuitton announced the launch of brand-new in-house magazine, The Book. The first issue’s features include actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg and a retrospective of vintage keep-all bags.

Singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams made his first foray into the world of fragrance, collaborating with avant-garde Japanese fashion house Comme des Garçons to produce stylish new scent, Girl.

Designer Tom Ford announced that he would not bring a women’s ready-to-wear collection to London Fashion Week next season, choosing instead to present at Los Angeles, center of his twin passions of fashion and film.

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, became host to a touring retrospective of English musician, actor and fashion icon David Bowie. Curated by London’s Victoria and Albert (V&A) museum, the “David Bowie Is” exhibition offers exclusive access to handwritten lyrics, original costumes and more, spanning five decades of the superstar’s career.

Finally, more than 60,000 people gathered in New York’s Central Park for the Global Citizen Festival on September 27. Organized by the Global Poverty Project—which aims to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030—the festival featured live performances from acts including Jay Z and Beyoncé, Sting and No Doubt, as well as appearances from Hugh Jackman, Meryl Streep and Jessica Alba.