Today, we head over to Europe for a taste of Italy through the eyes of Marco Ravanetti, the editor of one of our favorite sites, Men’s Reveire. We asked him to pick eight of his favorite items for the holidays; goods that could serve as gifts for just about anyone. We of course get a very discreet list what can only be seen as a very considered offering.

As Mr. Ravanetti tell us, “Yes, I do love gifts. A lot, although I don’t receive them very often. Due to this, eight, is a very tight number, therefore, I hope Jeff will allow me to cheat just a tiny bit.” Yes, sir, you can cheat.

Click for more looks at the eight gift selections from Italy’s Marco Ravanetti.

Church’s have released images of their SS12 collection and, as always, we’ve taken our pick of the bunch. The collection isn’t as Prada-esque as the last one, which is a good thing. As you can see above, they’re still fans of a good red brick sole, which we don’t mind in moderation. Elsewhere there’s blue suede tassel loafers, and a few handsome brogues. Not to mention more red brick.

Take a leap to see more.

Never not returning to Church’s. It’s hard to imagine a time when this stalwart of fine Northampton footwear won’t be churning out some of the most pleasingly understated shoes on the market. If you’re still finding the world of quality shoes a confusing one – so many styles, so many different soles, more lasts then you can shake a stick at…find refuge in the humble Oxford. This offering with its calf leather upper, cap toe and simple dainite sole is the straightforward answer to any shoe questions playing on your mind. Find them at Tres Bien.

Click for more

Apparently not satisfied with being producers of amazing shoes, Church’s have started adding luxury leather goods to their collection. Made from lizard, they’ve created wallets, key rings, card holders and coin cases in colours ranging from pretty normal to eye poppingly bright. And we really can’t understate just how eye poppingly bright the bright colours are.

Take a leap to see more of the goods.

We love a good derby. We can’t help it, it’s the granddad in us. The derby wasn’t picked up to the same extent as the brogue, so you can wear these without worrying about looking like you’ve dressed by the internet. You won’t even have to tell anyone it was a website who recommended it. It’ll be our little secret. (Herring Shoes)

Ready to use Church’s amazingly awful website again? Of course not, but you’re just gonna have to put up with it. We do like our shoes (believe it or not) just not every style under the sun. Here’s a pair we do like though. And as you can’t link directly to the shoes, they’re in the classic section to the far right. We feel like we’re working the shopfloor again. (Church’s)

Church’s back! Church’s back! Got all these bloggers saying that Church’s back! They never left but we can’t miss an opportunity to make a Rick Ross reference. Like all Church’s collections these days the seasonal range continues to push boundaries – some of which may be pushed a little too far for our liking – but there’s always a classic with a twist that pulls us back in. See for yourself after the leap (no prizes for guessing the one that overstepped our boundaries).

Photography: Selectism.com

Still on the lookout for a handsome shoe with a  red brick sole? Allow us to point you to these Church’s Strattons. We’ve said this so much we’re blue in the face, but you can’t cheap out on shoes. If you don’t notice it at first, you’ll notice it down the line. So step your footwear game up with these Church’s. And, judging from the sole, keep up locked away on rainy days. (Herring)

We’ve showcased these Church’s loafers in our spring/summer 11 collection but here’s the first time we’ve seen them in stores. And no, we don’t count Church’s online store because we’ve not seen a site so un-user friendly. Luckily, they’re far more skilled at making loafers than making websites, so these are worth getting your mitts on them. (Herring Shoes)

We gave a taster a while back – here’s the full plate. While the continuative collection stays the same (as it should do, given its name) the seasonal Church’s collections have been attempting new things – for better or worse – for a while now. It’s for better this season, with Church’s putting some of the tricks they learned from their spring season into the winter edition. As for the shoes in the collection? The usual loafers, boots, oxfords, derbies are all there: there’s even some double monkstraps for all the lace haters out there.

Take a leap to see the rest of the collection.