HOMME|FASHION| FEATURE: BOY'S OWN

You may not believe it when you see us swanking around fashion shows and launch parties in our gorgeous finery, but us fashion guys aren't all trussed up in expensive designer gear. Sure, we get the odd scarf or pair of shoes as a gift, but, unlike the fashionista girls, we - like civilians - have to buy our clothes. Sometimes even at full price. The horror.

So how do we manage to look so sartorially on trend? It's all about knowing where to look for bargains that the average guy isn't aware of: the labels that manage to combine cutting-edge design, hip reference points and good quality - at a decent price. 

Since its first UK store opened in 2007, COS (Collection of Style) has been the fashion industry's favourite insider tip, with understated styling that seems to be straight out of the Prada/Jil Sander/ Hugo Boss rule book. London's best-dressed men have all been caught stocking up here.

COS menswear this autumn reflects the times with a sober collection of wool coats and suits in a palette that runs from charcoal to steel grey, highlighted by knitwear and shirts in plum and green. This autumn sees COS open its fourth London store in Kensington High Street, and its first outside London, in Birmingham's Bullring.

YMC is another label better known by its acronym, which stands for You Must Create, and this year sees the opening of a store that features the label's full collection for the first time. YMC has been another fashion industry insider favourite for years, yet the label has never gained mainstream attention. If I had my way, that's how it would remain.

This autumn, YMC is also in sombre mode. Its menswear collection harks back to the harsh but simpler times of early 20th century, when clothes were made to last. Inspired by workwear from the great depression of the 1930s, it features leather coats lined with military blankets and hunting jackets converted into knitted cardigans, while priest collars lend shirts an air of austerity.

Scottish knitwear label Lyle & Scott Vintage is another great brand, which this season has added trousers for the first time in slim-fit, dogtooth and Prince of Wales check styles. The range draws on 80s casual and preppy themes; plaid wool shirts and micro-check cotton shirts with tiny collars complement the classic sweaters. The Lyle & Scott Vintage accessories collection now includes hats, gloves and scarves branded with its trademark golden eagle. Fine Scottish lambswool appears in brights such as tartan scarlet, diver blue and gala pink, all influenced by pop art, alongside more traditional autumnal colours and neutrals.

Hip young ladies know all about Mango's cut-price designer 'versions', but it's less well known that Mango's menswear is also rather groovy. Like many of the large chains, Mango has adopted a policy of bringing in young designers to produce for the mainstream, and this season is collaborating with US designerAdam Lippes on a tightly focused range inspired by 1970s New York style. Classic styles are blended with sportswear in a slimline collection that again features grey tones, highlighted with flashes of yellow and purple. Printed shirts and fine wool knits are mixed with suits and leather jackets in a collection for hipsters everywhere.

Not that we like to be called hipsters. So last season.

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