Editor’s note from the July/August 2017 issue of Luxury Listings NYC

It’s the summertime, when five-day work weeks turn into four days (or less), school is out, therapists are away, the deluge of emails eases up slightly and the normally hectic NYC routine gives way to something a lot looser. In other words, it’s time for a party — and we’ve got you covered in this issue of LLNYC.

We bring you decadent dress-up dances, smoked cocktails and even high-end cannabis-themed fashion and wellness products, as well as profiles of socialite-turned-mogul Paris Hilton and infamous Club Kid Michael Alig, who’s back in the nightlife business and stirring up controversy.

Could there be anyone who combines parties and luxury living better than our cover star, Paris Hilton?

Consider her in-demand DJ gigs, which rank her as the highest paid female DJ in the world. The hotel heiress has come a long way from her days as tabloid fodder, refashioning herself as a businesswoman in the style of Ivanka Trump, who’s a family friend and another real estate heiress with a famous last name.

If it seems everything is coming up roses for the hotel heiress these days, that’s probably because it is. Her perfume business, which has made more than $3 billion, is releasing her latest fragrance, Rosé Rush, this month. She has her own hotel, the Paris Beach Club, in the Philippines, and is opening another there, as well as exploring other international locations.

She’s also collaborating with her boyfriend, Chris Zylka (of HBO’s “The Leftovers” fame), on a number of creative projects, including our own cover shoot. Zylka took the photos, and Hilton told us, “We love making art together, doing photo shoots and making music. I loved having my man behind the camera, you can see it in my smile in my photos.” Check out the story by Isabel Schwab on page 10.

Fun fact: Hilton’s pets have their own mini-mansion in the backyard of her L.A. home, and they even have their own Instagram account, @hiltonpets, which has 104,000 followers.

Homes for pets of a very specific kind — namely, horses — are the subject of another feature story in this issue. We scoured the Hamptons, upstate New York, Connecticut and New Jersey for the most lavish equestrian spreads where owners can stable and ride horses on their own properties. The barns are so stunning and immaculate we would consider living in them (forget about the horses). See the story on page 32.

Meanwhile, it’s no accident that celebrities like Hilton always look camera-ready when photographed around town. As we write in a story on page 20, “almost every A-list star has a stylist or two on call who can expertly throw together a look for them that’s casually cool yet annoyingly fabulous.” But regular, non-famous folks (with enough money to spend) can do this, too. We tracked down the city’s top personal stylists who can help transform your wardrobe.

Of course, once you’re all dressed up, you’ll need somewhere to go. On page 64, we profile an ongoing underground party that’s become a fixture of New York’s artistic scene. “Shanghai Mermaid” is committed to events recreating ultra-specific times and places (Marrakech in 1930 or Mexico City in 1929), which means getting your costume exactly right down to the width of your lapels. 

Also worth checking out is the latest cocktail craze: smoked drinks. We detail the bars on the Lower East Side where you can get concoctions like the Daahoud — a mix of Bulleit rye, oloroso sherry and Bénédictine — which arrives in an upturned glass that’s filled with smoke and is then righted for the drink to be poured in front of your eyes. It’s a nice way to wow a date. See page 66.

Finally, as cannabis moves more and more into the mainstream, we look at the fashion and wellness products that are aimed at the wealthy. We’re talking about a $5,500 pavé diamond choker necklace in the shape of leaves and a $1,295 acrylic clutch that spells out “Weed” for a chic and unabashed message.

For even more extreme debauchery (there’s a lot in this issue), check our profile of Michael Alig, the former provocateur-in-chief of New York’s party scene, who is back after being locked away for nearly two decades and now off parole. The notorious Club Kid of the 1990s has returned to promoting parties in a New York City that seems to have sobered up in his absence. His return is a possible shot in the arm for the nightlife scene, but some are concerned he’ll revert to his drug-fueled ways of the past, which ended in tragedy. See page 26.

After all this partying (or reading about partying), you’ll need some medical attention. Learn about the concierge doctors who will go so far as to “make house calls, meet the patient at their office or even hop on a private jet to supervise medical care in another state.” Their bedside manner is delivered at your bedside, for a not-insignificant fee, of course. Check out the story on page 16.

Enjoy the summer and enjoy the issue.