Fashion model is not high on my list of aspirations, but when my designer friend Ivan Rocco asked if I would participate in his latest social-media campaign called ‘shirting . . .’ I could hardly say no!

Ivan, along with eight other rising stars (including four designers from his store – SQUAT – in Ljubljana), all made shirts that they are sending on adventures around the world! And I had the honour of being the first wearer of his piece. For more information check out the SHIRTING . . . Facebook page.

It arrived for me at the artist colony in Grez-sur-Loing in mid-December, all tied up lovingly in brown paper and with a string tied around it. I will admit I carried the cute parcel around the house for a bit just for fun before retiring to my apartment to open it up and see what was inside.

When I opened it up I found this shirt, which I get to have for up to two weeks before passing it on to the next wearer. Weeeee!

And part of the deal is that I need to take some photos of me wearing the shirt, so here ya go – a geeky biologist’s attempt at being fashionable, while on a weekend holiday to the Loire Valley:

At the Chateaux de Chaumont we saw tons of funky outdoor sculptures, but it was overcast and spitting rain, so we headed in to the winter gardens. I found some of my beloved tree ferns, and had a browse through the papyrus (a sedge used to make the first paper).

We also visited the Troglodyte caves in Turquant. These caves are still heavily used – some as homes, some as restaurants and many as a perfect environment for cultivating mushrooms for commercial sales. Did you know that if you’ve had mushrooms in Europe they very likely could have been grown in a cave that people once lived in? Now you know!

And finally back home in Grez, a day doesn’t go by that I don’t stumble down to the bottom of the back yard abutting the bridge. Here I often sip some coffee and watch the water swirl along, or have a little visit with my feathered friends. Also I relish any chance to get my gumboots on – I think they go well with the shirt, no?

Anneleen took the photos, and it wasn’t the first time we had done a photo-shoot together. I do have to say that taking photos in the shirt does remind me a *little* of our earlier lab-jacket photo series in Jordan….

Because Ivan is a total sweetheart he also sent me this fantastic blue linen shirt for my upcoming travels. It is so light and comfy, and dries fast – it is perfect to make even a grungy backpacker like myself look fashionable and put together!  Look at those asymmetric sleeves. Love it! I already wore this on my long-haul flight from Stockholm to Cambodia earlier this week, and after about 300 hours in the air I can say that I was still comfortable on arrival in the muggy heat of Phnom Penh.

I think he could have a promising future as a travel fashion designer. However, judging by how popular his normal stuff is I don’t think he needs any more work. He is pretty sought-after on the international market it seem! You can check out an interview with Ivan for Glamour Magazine here.

And to finish it off – a little blogging & shirting love. Thanks Ivan!!

And now Emma has been shirted – SHIRT ON!