A golden, rayed sun with a human face sits at the centre of this black cotton tote bag, with a small yin-yang symbol beneath it. The bag is about 40 x 36 cm, with two long handles. Around the sun, in a red ring, are the symbols of the twelve zodiac signs, with a star at the top. A golden border and blue clouds frame the circle. Made in India.
All twelve star signs
If you are buying it as a gift, you don't need to know the person's star sign, because all twelve are on it. Whoever receives it will find their own, whether they are an Aries, a Virgo or an Aquarius.
The sun at the centre of the signs
The twelve signs of the zodiac are the twelve sections of the band of sky that the sun appears to travel through in a year. It spends roughly a month in each, which gives us our sun sign. Someone born in early April, for example, is an Aries.
In astrology this is the sign most people know; it is what we mean when we say someone is a Leo or a Pisces. The design on the bag draws that circle, with the sun in the middle. That makes it a fitting birthday present, since a star sign is tied to the day you were born.
To work, with your lunch
If you take lunch to work, a food container, a book and a jumper fit in it together. The cotton is lightweight and takes up little room in your bag when folded, and the long handles go over your shoulder. It is open at the top, with no zip.
When it needs a wash
Wash it by hand or on a gentle cycle in cold water, and keep it out of the tumble dryer. Iron the printed design inside out to help it last.