It seems that everywhere we’ve gone recently, we’ve had the opportunity to buy environment-friendly souvenir and decorative tote bags. Gone are the days when totes were solely the stuff of cheap convention freebies and marketing ploys. Many of those on offer today are downright artsy and oh so fetching. At prices ranging generally in the £5–£15 range, they make an attractive gift for both the green- and the fashion-minded. And if plastic bags are eventually banned in London (and we think they should be), you will be prepared.

Can’t afford to shop at the Harrods food halls on a regular basis? Neither can we. But we can afford to pretend whilst carrying our Tesco groceries in a vinyl version of the famous green and gold Harrods bag. Fans of the little black dress might like the V&A’s Night and Day bag from its Golden Age of Couture exhibit. Art lovers will likely find something to please at the National Gallery or the Tate, book lovers can announce themselves with either a British Library tote or the Penguin Classics Book Bag, and antiquities junkies can declare their allegiance with a British Museum bag. We’re not exactly sure what kind of statement one makes by carrying a blood-splotched bag quoting Lady Macbeth – “Out, Damned Spot”! – but we’re sure that it makes one.

So what will you be saying this holiday season?

Pic courtesy of Icy Nerd’s Flickr photostream