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Wednesday 4 November 2026
Gentleman Coded Live well. Behave better.
A long table laid for dinner with white plates, folded napkins, glass bottles and lit candles running into the distance Conduct

How to host a dinner party at home, and be there for it

Do the work before anyone arrives, so that you can be in the room once they have. Who to ask, what to cook, how to keep people safe and fed, and how to end the evening well.

By Rupert Ashcombe · 8 minute read
An older MacBook Pro open on a white desk, showing a mountain wallpaper on its screen Machines The MacBook Pro gets an OLED screen and touch, from 6 November A blank white card lying across a gold envelope on a pale grey surface Conduct The object: Smythson’s correspondence cards
Red gift boxes tied with gold ribbon beneath a frosted Christmas tree with red baubles The Christmas guide Christmas gifts for a gentleman, from £59 to the unforgettable Things he'd never quite buy for himself, made well enough to last a decade. Our Christmas gift guide for men, from Riedel glasses at £59 to a Globe-Trotter case. Read the guide
Close-up of a black Leica camera, showing the lens, the textured grip and the red Leica badge Machines The object: the Leica Q3 Guests raising glasses of sparkling wine at a long table in a hall hung with strings of warm lights Conduct The office Christmas party: how to enjoy it and still have a job The columned front and dome of the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London Escapes Van Eyck’s portraits, all together for the first time, at the National Gallery

The Code

The standard of dress, conduct and taste, written down one rule at a time. Short enough to remember, explained well enough to live by.

Read all 29 rules
  1. XIXLearn the names of the people who look after you.
  2. XXKeep your word, especially the small promises.
  3. XXIApologise once, plainly, and without a “but”.
A black umbrella covered in water droplets, against a blurred grey background Attire The object: the Fox umbrella Most umbrellas are bought in a doorway and left on a train. The Fox GT1, made to order by a firm keeping people dry since 1868, is what you buy when you've had enough. A man in a dark shawl-collar dinner jacket, black bow tie, double cuffs and white pocket handkerchief, adjusting his watch Attire Black tie, properly: the rules and where you can bend them Black tie is the kindest dress code ever devised, once you know the handful of rules. What to wear, where you can bend it, where you can't, and what it costs to own.

The sections

Attire Tailoring, shoes, watches and grooming: how to dress well, buy once and look after what you own. Machines Phones, audio, home technology and cars, judged on craft and on how they feel to live with. The Cellar Whisky, cognac, wine and cocktails: what to buy, how to order and how to serve it well. Conduct Etiquette, hosting, gifts and letters: the manners that make other people comfortable. Escapes The hotels, restaurants, bars and cities worth travelling for.

A guide to living well and behaving well: the finest things, chosen with taste, and the manners that go with them. About Gentleman Coded