• Come for the heavy-handed jingoism, stay for the fantastic bargains! NY state clothing sales tax holiday to coincide with the GOP convention. [Retail Council for NY State]

• Designers pooh-pooh GOP convention as fashion inspiration: "It's kind of hard to be creative when you have a bubble around the city." [NYT]

• Protesters advised to dress like Tucker Carlson: "Organizers advise protesters to. . . find alternatives to all-black clothing. Khaki is less intimidating, one group suggests. It will also let them blend in." [CBS 2]

• Puffy will have to leave Farnsworth behind: RNC bans umbrellas in the hall. "Sure, they can be used to whack and poke, but in sinister hands they can also hide a syringe filled with poison, according to the cloak-and-dagger set." [NYT]