Best of Fall 2013: our indispensable guide to the season’s hottest movies, theatre, concerts, art, books and more

Thirty years ago, in the song “Modern Love,” David Bowie told us he knows “when to go out, when to stay in.” That’s easy when you’re a glam god, but for the rest of us, negotiating a busy season of culture can be as tricky as performing in platform boots. Do you splurge on front-row seats for Les Miz? Endure the AMC crush to watch Rachel McAdams in a brilliantly British rom-com? Gawk at Bowie’s androgynous excesses in the new AGO exhibition? Here, our recommendations for rocking the fall with style.

By Andrew D’Cruz, Sue Carter Flinn, Emily Landau, Alison Mah, Jason McBride, Courtney Shea, Stéphanie Verge, Chris Webster and Nathan Whitlock