[Summer 2013: "The Year of the Swan"]

Giant inflatable toys have been found throughout the pools of the rich and fabulous since pliable plastic was invented. Did you know that the inflatable zebras found in the party scenes in Baz Luhrman's Gatsy film were inspired by carefully studied period pieces of the time period? Today "The Cool Hunter" even hosts a competition for the best "designer inflatables," (and Ben Watt's crew has been providing colorful inflatable inspiration for us for years). But, if there were ever "trends" existing in the inflatable pool animal space, this year would undoubtedly be the season of the swan. More»

Whether basking in the daytime sunlight or enjoying the fiery, colored skyline mid-sunset, lounging poolside can be made better any time of the day with a drink in hand. Fortunately, New York pools offer the opportunity to sip on specialty cocktails and dance around in your bikini, all while acquiring a glowing, bronzed tan. Click through for the NYC pool parties you need to attend this summer.

Go HERE for more photos by John C. Bajana and tag yourself and your friends!

As we saw at the S.K.A.M. Saturdays opening poolside bash at Drai's, L.A. has never been more ready for summer and pool party season to commence. The pools are heated, the DJs are on deck, our swimwear is on point, and legions of inflatable crocodiles and turtles await being floated upon, so it's your move, Mother Nature. Helping warm L.A. up until our favorite time of year arrives was Sunday's Peligroso "Cinnco" de Mayo celebration at the Hollywood Roosevelt's poolside Tropicana bar. See how fashionable guests like Louise Roe and fiancé Josh Slack got into the summer spirit lounging poolside while sipping on the new Peligroso Cinnamon tequila as the turntable stylings of Mayer Hawthorne and DJ Snake Cut filled the sun-soaked afternoon.

Go HERE for more photos by Eric A. Reid and tag yourself and your friends!

In anticipation of Cinco de Mayo, Drai's Hollywood launched their weekly S.K.A.M. Saturdays over the weekend with a festive Mexican twist and Lil Jon as the guest DJ for the rooftop pool party. Yes, hard to remember after last night's torrential downpour and today's bizarre cold-but-warm-in-certain-spots thing, that Saturday couldn't have been more pleasant for a pool party. I'm really over trying to keep up with the erratic weather patterns of Southern California, but I do know a glorious pool party season is imminent, we just have to be patient and savor the 95-degree-day tastes we're given along the way. Until then, enjoy this preview from S.K.A.M. Saturdays at Drai's to see how awesome summer is going to be once it finally arrives.

Go HERE and HERE for more photos by Michael C. Jenkins and WARHOLIAN NITE and tag yourself and your friends!

The GUESS Hotel gave celebrity and VIP guests over Coachella Weekend 1 the answer to a fun and fabulous time under the sun with two daytime pool parties on Saturday and Sunday at The Viceroy Palm Springs. Jessica Lowndes and new beau rugby player Thom Evans played a match of ping pong while Katherine McPhee sunbathed in the pool on a giant inflatable swan. Other notables who swung by to beat the heat with GUESS over the busy weekend included Ashley Benson, Chloe Sevigny, Chord Overstreet, Jesse Metcalfe and many more.

Go HERE for more photos by Casey Marx and tag yourself and your friends!

I don't want to oversell it or anything, but it's been really freaking hot lately. Like, "sorry I was late, my car seats melted" hot. Like, "Jessica Simpson can drop some of that baby weight by just sitting in the sun all day" hot. Hot enough, in fact, that just going to a pool party might not be enough on its own to cool you off. Don't despair, though: Angelenos are innovative, and our friends shown here at the Roosevelt came up with some new, creative ways to lower body temperature. We'll explain. More»

Go HERE for more photos by Fernando Isai and tag yourself and your friends!

I can't sit here and tell you that we don't love out-of-control, booze-fueled poolside ragers. There's fairly recent evidence to confirm that we do. That having been said, some people take the vaguely socialist premise of Labor Day to heart, and would therefore much prefer actual relaxation to the Greyhouse-By-The-Sea vibe given off by the fist-pumpier of hotel pool parties. That's why we're glad that the W Westwood decided to throw their hat into the Labor Day party arena. With a dreamy, extremely private backyard pool and lounge vibe, Westsiders of all stripes were given a pool party they didn't need to bring their earplugs to. More»

Go HERE for more photos by Casandra Campeas and tag yourself and your friends!

Labor Day: it's kind of implied that you're not going to have to work, right? After all, the whole point of the holiday is to kick back and raise a beer to yourself, the beleaguered American worker. But as great as it can be to do this in a picture-perfect setting like the pool of the Roosevelt Hotel, where yesterday's WET Labor Day Pool Party went down, there's a catch: there's actually quite a bit of labor involved on your end. Don't worry though, it's not necessarily a bad thing. We'll explain. More»

What says "summer" more than a pool party? Even out here, where a winter snowstorm would be considered a legitimate act of God, we still breathlessly await the summer months, when the temperatures climb from comfortable to scorching and we all have an excuse to get blindingly day-drunk next to a hotel pool, mansion pool, or even an extremely well-placed inflatable. Oh, and there's a whole new round of poolside shenanigans after the sun goes down. But don't take our word for how wonderful our summertime pool party scene is. We'll show you, as we continue our Best Of Summer series.  More»

Go HERE for more photos by Nik Williamson and tag yourself and your friends!

I think we all know that there are different levels of celebrity. Michael Jordan would get recognized in pretty much every country in the world, whereas there are probably strip malls in the Valley where The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills would go unrecognized, or at least get mistaken for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. At any rate, there's nothing wrong with being misidentified as a celebrity; I get called Seth Rogen all the time, and it helps me get handjobs from Barnes & Nobles employees tables at restaurants. In fact, we enjoyed the No Shirt/ No Shoes "Froth Of July" pool party even more because we kept misidentifying our favorite celebs. We'll show you how! More»

As we briefly touched upon yesterday, we're not at all getting sick of pool parties. That's like getting sick of pizza, or getting sick of Breaking Bad, or something equally absurd. What we are saying, though, is that as the summer rolls on, we're looking to up the ante a bit. With a little help from The Cobrasnake and their gallery of Tuesday's Nightswim, we'll determine who's ready to take it to the next level, and who still needs to step it up. More»