Grey Handbag Love - Helen Bateman Scotland

I've talked about the hunt for a grey handbag on this blog before. They're not easy to find! Back a couple of years ago, I ordered what I hoped was my holy grail of grey handbags from a consignment store in Dublin and while the colour & size are perfect, I've never got on great with the shape of the bag and definitely don't use it as much as I'd hoped. So the hunt continued....

Then I was approached by Helen Bateman, a designer based in Edinburgh who is best known for her shoes but she has also designed two really stunning leather handbags for her collection, the Lila and this grey leather wonder - the Billy Bag.

The Billy Bag is also available in lots of other colours....some of which make my grey look a bit dull but I've tried the bright coloured handbag and find that I don't use them as much as my grey, black or navy ones. And once you see the lining of this bag, you'll realise it's not one bit dull.

These bucket style bags became popular when Zara introduced them a few years back but I never liked the zip-in liner they came with. This bag gives you all the benefits & style of a bucket bag but it's fully lined with all the pockets you need for smaller items so you won't be rummaging for them endlessly. The leather is an excellent quality and will improve with age. There are sturdy studs on the base also - a key requirement of a good tote! Given the number of bags I've bought over the years, I can happily stand over this in terms of quality. It's a lot of bag for your money and will most definitely stand the test of time.

I put the Billy bag through it's paces all weekend. On Saturday, we went to the school open day and it was perfect for accommodating the 52 bits of plastic the kids bought as well as the 4 (yes 4!) boxes of tray bakes I bought from the cake stall (the mums at our school are amazing bakers). No plastic bags anymore thanks to the NI charge but I was ok - tons of room in the Billy Bag.

On Sunday, it was the girls' birthday and we took a small group of their friends to the cinema and on to Pizza Hut afterwards. Once again, the bag was stuffed with wipes, tissues, plastic bags (in case of a Code Vom), candles, matches, cupcakes...etc etc. With room to spare.
To give you a sense of perspective, here's how I styled it on Saturday:

Grey Leather Billy Bag - ℅ Helen Bateman
Grey Cashmere Poncho - Gray & Osbourn
Grey Oversized Jumper - H&M
Jeans - Gap
Knitted Snood - Esprit (past season)
Navy Suede Ankle Boots - Ash Jalouse (also available here)

I've definitely gotten out of the way of a bigger bag in recent months but now my days are filled with site visits and house related shopping, I'm glad to have a larger bag with me to stuff all the brochures, paintbrushes, bags of nails and other randomness..

The range at Helen Bateman is really stunning..here are some of my other picks:

Lila Black Patent Chelsea Boot, Mimi Orange Shoe Boot, Esther Peacock Point Toe Heels, Alissa Silver Glitter Point Toe Flats, Lila Taupe Patent Leather Bag

She's also got some fabulous scarves, including these wool & silk ones which would make amazing Christmas presents.

Parto Scarf, Sita Charcoal Scarf

I know I shouldn't really showcase other scarf shops but the designs are too good not to share. So please do pop over to Helen's site for a look and show her some School Gate Style love. If you sign up for the newsletter, you'll get 20% off your first order and watch out on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to be the first to find out about any special offers or sales.

Thanks to Helen for gifting me this beautiful handbag and thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog.

Ax