With a new coffee table book, an art show, and a limited-edition collaboration with Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton all out at once, the pop-punk genius of the late Stephen Sprouse shines brighter than ever. Sprouse’s muse, transgender model Teri Toye, has her own opinion regarding how the shy visionary would react to his ascendance to modern legend status. “Stephen Sprouse did not want to be a star,” says Toye, whose elongated frame and deadpan glamour proved a potent inspiration for many a Sprouse Day-Glo ensemble or sleek erogenous cutout. “He just wanted to create. His life was about producing work. He was driven to produce. And if you were his friend, you went along with that.”

Two new photography books shine a light on our country’s unheralded superstars: its gritty folk from the other side of the tracks and its bubbling, super-styled youth subcultures.

Crack smokers, cashiers, rifle holders, a security guard, men and women with tattoos, scars and burns—these are the characters who make up Zoe Strauss’ first monograph, America, a gritty ode to life in pockets of the U.S.A. extending from Las Vegas to Philadelphia. When asked what she’s drawn to when choosing a subject to photograph, Strauss, a former professional babysitter who vaulted to art-world fame with an entry at the Whitney Biennial in 2006, says, “A real strength and pride is of great importance. I’ve never been able to articulate what that really means, even though I am absolutely certain of it when I am taking the photograph.” The often-ravaged faces of America may not make anyone’s hot list, but still have a glory of their own, making a visit via Strauss’ lens strangely exhilarating and utterly unforgettable.

For the past decade, actor James Franco has built a career based on huge talent, killer looks and enigmatic charm. Now is clearly his time, as the buzz on Milk—the Harvey Milk biopic in which he stars opposite Sean Penn, under the direction of Gus Van Sant—follows his summer smash, Pineapple Express. But Franco wants more: this year, he’s enrolled in two graduate schools while continuing to conquer Hollywood. For a smarter approach to life and art, Franco’s got an academy or two he’d like to thank.

"To me, Stephen was kind of a rock and roll Halston,” Marc Jacobs says of Stephen Sprouse, a defining genius of ’80s fashion and art, whose legacy and still-fresh style gets the deluxe picture book treatment (four different Day-Glo covers!) by Rizzoli. Authors Roger and Mauricio Padilha, two of the world’s most voracious collectors of all things Sprouse, were given access to the late icon’s archives by his family for The Stephen Sprouse Book, due out in February, which delineates the wild creative’s life in chapters with titles like “Cyber Punk,” “Future Rave,” “Legend” and “Andy.”

Ever tried to picture Liberace simmering tomato sauce in his boxers? What about Babs with the body of a black Lab? In Sleeveface: Be The Vinyl (Artisan Books, 192 pages), editors Carl Morris and John Rostron have collected images of album covers placed with deliberate and devious accuracy on everything from canines and Chryslers to the guy who drives the Fairfax 417 city bus. Don’t call it a remix.

Having placed his signature touch on everything from the interiors of hotels like the Delano and the Mondrian to toothbrushes and motorcycles, Philippe Starck, France’s Zen master of the modern, diversifies into New York rental apartments, underwear and the first sightseeing shuttle into outer space.

MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, creators of insanely catchy electropop tunes like “Kids” and “Electric Feel,” give pointers on partying naked, stoned and succumbing to the temptations of cookies and sparkling water.

A Typical Night Out: (Andrew VanWyngarden) When we’re on the road, we tend to party a lot on the bus. The best times we have are when we’re up until six in the morning, listening to music with some random folks. They’re not groupies, just girls we got to know. (Ben Goldwasser) I am definitely more of a night person than Andrew is. One thing I miss about living in New York is that there is always something to do, no matter what time of night. I like the bars in Brooklyn. We used to go to this bar called Lost & Found in Greenpoint. It’s not very popular, but it’s on the corner right where we practice. They have free hot dogs, and hardcore bands on the weekends. We usually go on the weekdays.

In the booming, bustling world of urban nightlife, things are neither silent nor still, nor necessarily what they seem. Here, when most people have begun cashing in on their eight hours of rest, we hit the streets with our most beloved, insatiable crew of revelers—from deejays and drag queens to one very poised 92-year-old single gal—to experience the debauchery and decadence of the world after dark.

When model Alexandra Richards wants good vintage clothes and cool shoes, she raids the closet of her parents, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and iconic ’70s and ’80s model Patti Hansen. Designer Jill Stuart, who has featured Alexandra on her runway and in an upcoming Japanese campaign, mixes her own ultra-feminine designs with rare vintage finds. The two fiends for classic chic speak with James Servin about fashion, family and the best Stones tunes.

A fashion god who has designed impeccable creations for socialites and celebrities ranging from Jackie O to Gwyneth Paltrow, Valentino celebrates his 45-year history and recent retirement with a documentary film, a museum retrospective and a lavish coffee table book. Here, the couture icon talks business and pleasure with James Servin while in the midst of a “fashion detox.”