On the agenda: Fashion Designers' Sketchbooks; Roundhouse Records; Joaquin Phoenix; Susie Poole's Sister Lucy's Great Big Family; Crucible; Wahaca

Fashion

The riotous snaps and flashes of the zoom lenses are about to start all over again with New York Fashion Week kicking off this week, but the fashion pack's current favourite coffee-table book recalls a gentler era. 'Fashion Designers' Sketchbooks' (Laurence King, £28) by Hywel Davies features artwork from Yohji Yamamoto, Karl Lagerfeld and Vivienne Westwood, and offers a glimpse into the workings of some of the world's most famous labels, with designers discussing their toiles and fabric choices. Quite the relief from the pap shots...

Harriet Walker

Music

Dormant from 1983 to 1996, the former steam-engine repair shed now known as the Roundhouse, in north London, has been making up for lost time since reopening as a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose venue in 2006. More impressive even than the refurb is the Roundhouse's commitment to young people. To that end, every day this month one young band has been given free recording time for inclusion on an album called 30/30/2010, to be released early next year. Meanwhile, from 17-19 September, the venue hosts Turning Point, London's only festival controlled by people under 25. Expect talent contests, comedy, poetry, a grafitti battle and performances from Professor Green, Ms Dynamite and Roll Deep, and DJ sets by the likes of Rob da Bank. '30/30 2009' is out now on Roundhouse Records; for Turning Point tickets, tel: 0844 482 8008

Simmy Richman

Film

You might not remember the critically praised 2008 film Two Lovers, but its protagonist, Leonard, is a burnt-out suicidal caught between two women, one mood-swingy, the other straight down the line. Outstanding in the role was Joaquin Phoenix in his last performance before "quitting" acting to launch a hip-hop career. Was Phoenix as burnt out as Leonard? He seemed so in his infamous Letterman appearance to puff the film. Now he's back on the big screen – in his brother-in-law Casey Affleck's 'I'm Still Here', a documentary of his "transformation". Has it all just been a big hoax? Opens 17 September

Robert Epstein

Books

For an entertaining children's book with a thought-provoking message, beautiful design and a lasting benefit to kids around the world, look no further than Susie Poole's 'Sister Lucy's Great Big Family'. The book is published with World Emergency Relief, and tells the true story of one woman, her "good-at-thinking head" and her orphanage in the "tea-rich, dirt-poor hills" north of Nairobi. Copies are available at wer-uk.org, or call 0844 249 2129, for a £5 donation (plus £2 P&P)

Katy Guest

Sculpture

There's more to Gloucester Cathedral than ecclesiastical worship. The Harry Potter films transformed its vaulted cloisters into the hallowed Hogwarts' corridors, and now 48 heavyweight British artists are using the gothic edifice for a dazzling exhibition, Crucible. Damien Hirst, Mark Quinn and Anthony Gormley are among those on display. And while there's not a wizard in sight, there is something magical about Lynn Chadwick's "Cloaked Figure". ("You and Me" by Jon Buck.) To 30 October, crucible2010.co.uk

Adam Jacques

Food

A burrito a day keeps the bank manager away. Or at least it will if you win Wahaca's competition to design a new staff T-shirt. To celebrate the opening of a Soho branch of the Mexican chain in Wardour Street, it's giving away free food for a year (well, up to a £1,200 limit) to the lucky entrant. So get your crayons and start scribbling. The competition closes at the end of this month. For details: blog.wahaca.co.uk

AJ