London: It has long been said that manners maketh man, but it appears that holding doors open, saying please and thank you, and dressing appropriately is no longer enough to denote a true gentleman.
Instead, a list of rules for the 21st-century gentleman contains advice on coloured trousers, pre-tied bow ties and an outright ban on tweeting.
Country Life’s Gentlemanly Commandments are published today as the magazine launches its Gentleman of the Year Award. According to the magazine, a modern gentleman would never buy fuschia-coloured trousers, plant gladioli or — heaven forbid — own a cat.
Also frowned upon is drinking Malibu and writing with a Biro. The use of Facebook is permitted, in order to keep in touch with one’s “many” god-children, but the gentleman of 2014 would “definitely” not use Twitter.
A gentleman will curtail his drinking before he is disorderly and, intriguingly, only make love “on his elbows”.
The list was developed after consulting public figures, with Jeremy Paxman arguing that “a gentleman doesn’t dispense unsolicited advice”, and Joan Collins insisting he would “never wear brown shoes at night”.
Actor Richard E Grant added: “Courtesy costs nothing — rudeness is exorbitant and never forgotten.”
