I was walking down Savile Row yesterday afternoon to avoid the masses in Regent Street. I was going to Harvie & Hudson (for socks) and bumped into Michael Alden. After introductions, we popped into Huntsman and then enjoyed a some winter ale together in the Burlington Arms.  Michael is delightful company and we got on very well.

Michael showed me two of his London Lounge Cloth Club projects made up as a jacket and odd trousers. They were better, admittedly to my uneducated eye, than those we looked at in Huntsman. The heavy shetland tweed was magnificent. We also discussed Savile Row tailors and it is clear that Michael, despite his personal preference for soft tailoring, has a high regard for houses that favour more structure.

Michael sees the LL and the cloth club as a labour of love. He also explained the recent, and apparently expensive, problems with the LL site. They were similar to those that I had experienced a couple of years ago. On the way to the Tube, Michael commented on my spat with Alex Kabbaz. I have not posted about it on LL so he must have seen it here! It seems that I am not the only LL member to have suffered from Kabbaz's "moderation".

Michael was in town to introduce Salvatore Ambrosi to Savile Row. The visit was very successful and Ambrosi will be making regular visits to London as an alternative to New York. The next visit will be in early January. The price that Michael quoted me represented fantastic value, especially considering how the pound's exchange rate against the Euro has slumped recently. I am certainly looking forward to January and another beer with Michael, a true gentleman in my experience.