Sometimes you see a tie that makes you wish you had to wear ties more often. Such is the case with House of Manfred (who claim residency in Sydney, Paris and Karachi).

Made in Italy of, wait for it, Italian silk, the patterns are something quite extraordinary, and the attitude which accompanies Manfred, something else again:

He’s independent of means, and independent of spirit. A gambler, and a womanizer, he’s the lovable rogue. Sure, he’s made mistakes, and had his share of tragedy.

It’s hard to imagine one could ever look very roguish in a tie (especially a pink, floral one) – regardless of how many sepia nudes adorn the lining. But it beats a pink, floral tie WITHOUT sepia nudes.

[House of Manfred]

Okay, we all have to totally forget that Bentleys were cool for a while there.

Perhaps, three months ago, young Hollywood starlets were all buying Bentley Continentals. But that fashion has faded, they’ve all been traded in for Mercedes SLR McLarens and now the rest of us can continue enjoying them again.

Which is good, ‘cos they’ve finally started building the Continental GTC.

It’s just like the Continental GT, except topless (not unlike some GT one-time owners) and finally rounds out the Continental production family.

Deliveries will begin in the UK within the month and, at around $198,000, it’s a slightly more modest investment than the hyper-cars we reviewed yesterday.

And once you buy one, you finally have a reason to get the ‘BENTCONT’ vanity plates you’ve always wanted…

Bentley Starts Production On The Continental GTC [Sybarites]

While your local continental beer carnival might feel kinda exotic, you’re still drinking with the same losers, in the same city, with your same day-to-day hassles not too far away.

So you’ve always wanted to journey off to Belgium to experience the real deal but just couldn’t be arsed writing an itinerary? Fear not, the team at AskMen.com has taken all the work out of planning your own Belgian beer tour. So all you need to do is buy the funny, uh, whatever funny thing it is that the Belgians wear.

It’s a short, three-day excursion, possibly involves far more beer sighting than beer drinking, and has the kind of watertight schedule you’d expect from Clark Griswold. But it is a productive, wholesome, positive trip – much like the Belgian brewers themselves, according to these profiles:

Founded in 1988, Fantôme never set out to become a major brewery, but to deliver quality beers into the nearby countryside and to promote fraternity and goodwill among members of the local community.

Originally built in 1070, the Orval Abbey was the first to sell beers nationally in Belgium and, today, as with all Trappist breweries, the proceeds from beer sales go directly to financially support the monastery and other good causes in the area.

So perhaps it’s not the seedy, beer-fuelled romp some would prefer. But that’s why The Netherlands is right next door…

Fine Living: A Beer Tour Of Belgium [Ask Men]