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Inside with Palina Rojinski: hosting a Hong Kong travel TV show for Pro7! Farfetch Style Reinvention.

Palina Rojinski fashion, hair, makeup

At last, I can show you footage from my latest Hong Kong travel TV show shoot! (I’ve filmed two more times in Asia since then, but it takes forever for shows to come out… hence the old hair color.)

If you live in Germany, perhaps you saw me on the new ProSieben series, “Inside – Unterwegs mit Palina.”  I was the fixer and on-camera host for this new TV show, which takes Palina Rojinski around the world in search of local experiences.

But fist, I want to share with you a new Style Reinvention project with Farfetch, where I reinterpret boy-style for a female wardrobe.

korean male fashion, kpop boys

It’s always fun to film TV shows in Asia, since this lets me see the latest fashion and trends up close.

Right now, Kpop style is everywhere. I’m particularly keen on the sleek, black, rocker clothing worn by Korean boy bands such as Excite (above).

kpop fashion moodboard, collage

Kpop male idols have always leaned towards an androgynous look — so why not mix up your wardrobe with some menswear pieces? I teamed up with Farfetch to create a “Style Reinvention” moodboard. I had fun breaking out of my usual zone, and browsing the men’s section for ideas.

Clockwork from left, I created a K-pop rock star look with:
– Issey Miyake black studded backpack
Off-White top (this type of black/white contrast is very Kpop)
– Rick Owens blazer with shawl collar, stud cuff, and zip leather boots
Raf Simons black skinny jeans

kpop boy band fashion, 24k

Now, I feel like I can fit in with the Korean boys of the band 24K!

How would you reinvent your style? Farfetch is inviting you to build your own moodboard (like I did), and share it on your blog and social media with the hashtag #myfarfetch. The best outfit, chosen by Farfetch, will receive a £250 voucher to spend on their site. The competition ends Oct 31 — Halloween — so get to it. Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

la carmina tv hosting, pro sieben

And now, back to the travel TV shoot in Hong Kong.

It was a pleasure to work once again with Pro7, the biggest German TV network. I previously filmed with them for Joko vs Klaas in Vancouver (where we sewed Joko’s lips together), and Tokyo (where we gave Klaas a bagelhead).

While I can’t release the whole episode, I put together some of my TV clips in the video above and on YouTube. I also have behind the scenes photos and stories to share — so read on for martial arts, horse racing and snake soup!

waiting hong kong airport arrivals

I was Palina’s on-camera guide to Hong Kong, in this episode of “Inside.” For the first scene, I met her at Hong Kong airport.

(My company, La Carmina & The Pirates, did the fixing for this TV program, meaning we arranged all the permits, casting, story ideas and more.)

Palina Rojinski german tv host

If you’re from Germany, I am sure you’re familiar with Palina Rojinski. She’s a DJ and popular TV host, and we hit it off straight away.

Palina Rojinski travel tv show

The concept of the show is that Palina wants to get offline, and travel around the globe without the help of cell phones, computers, or money. As her Hong Kong local insider, I was excited to show her the city’s wildest nightlife and food.

hong kong race course

We filmed a thrilling scene at the Hong Kong Jockey Club race course, in Sha Tin. People placed bets on horses, and cheered like maniacs when their favorites galloped by.

hong kong horse race spectators

This photo gives you a sense of the excitement in the grandstands, as betters cheered for their favorite horses and jockeys. Horse racing is a popular attraction in Hong Kong, a former British colony.

happy valley race track, hong kong

My friend John Skeleton and I were the odd Goths out, in this racecourse filled with older men! John was my fixing partner for this German TV show, and led all the scouting and first day’s shoot.

hong kong horse races betting

On this turf, jockeys paraded their horses for the spectators.

chinese watching horse races bets

I’ve only been to the Hong Kong horse races once when I was a child, as it’s not exactly my scene. However, it was fun to film here with the TV show. Palina placed a bet on a horse — and with the magic of TV, she won!

bunny face balloon

After the races, we paid a visit to our X-mouthed friend Miffy. (Or as we call her, “Miffeeehhhh!”)

miffy halloween costume

Oh Miffeh, always getting into shenanigans. (The TV crew filmed the balloon, and you can see it in this video.)

cute asian bear toy

Palina and my family chatted about growing up in Hong Kong, and all the cultural quirks. They offered her local snacks, and let her sleep in my cousin’s bed… surrounded by cute stuffed animals.

tv show filming equipment cameras

The B-roll camera did a time lapse of the sunset. My uncle’s apartment has a marvelous view of the harbor.

hong kong harbor reflection lights

Can you imagine looking outside, and having this as your view? Palina loved meeting my family members and learning about their cosmopolitan lifestyle in Hong Kong.

Palina Rojinski insisted on taking selfies with all of us, and left adorable notes for them, written in Chinese.

villain hitters, causeway bay

On another day, I arranged for Palina to visit a villian hitter. These women set up stalls beneath the overpass of Causeway Bay, around Hennessey Road. They offer a menu of spiritual rituals that drive out negative feng shui. 

chinese gods statues

This lady set up an altar with incense and statues of the Chinese folk gods, including the red-faced warrior Guan Yu.

Villain hitting, hong kong

My aunt appeared in the TV program, as Palina’s Cantonese translator and guide for this scene. She introduced her to the villain hitter, who performed a dramatic ritual that stamps out bad luck.

chinese folk rituals, spells

She burned papers and beat an effigy, to vanquish Palina’s enemies. It’s quite the ritual, and worth witnessing if you’re in Causeway Bay.

hong kong construction workers

Talk about bad timing… We ran into a traffic jam, near the Hong Kong government buildings. A huge crowd had gathered there. What was going on?

central protests, occupy hong kong gas masks

Later that evening, we looked up at a TV screen… and couldn’t believe our eyes. The Hong Kong protests had broken out into chaos, with police firing gas into the crowds. This was the start of “Occupy Central,” and we had missed it by a hair.

hong kong snake soup restaurant

Regardless, the show must go on. Palina was up for a food challenge, so I set her up at Sher Wong Yip New Snake Restaurant.

bizarre foods hong kong andrew zimmern

Look who else has eaten snake soup here… My friend Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods (Travel Channel)! Remember when I took him around to Tokyo restaurants for his TV show?

hong kong china cat

At the entrance, there was a big glass case filled with writhing snakes. This cat sat right next to the snakes, and didn’t seem at all scared.

Shai Wong Yip New Snake Restaurant

The owners held up snakes, for a teaser shot. In Hong Kong, people traditionally ate snake soup to “warm up the body” and for its supposed medical benefits.

snake soup restaurant hong kong

The taste of snake soup? Just like chicken with herbs. I bet you wouldn’t even know you were eating a serpent.

hong kong martial artist, fighter

We ended the Offline TV shoot with a bang. Palina had to fight one-on-one with martial arts expert and filmmaker, Sam Leong.

He taught her some killer moves at his Kowloon fighting studio.

sam leong hong kong muy thai

Then, we drove to this epic location overlooking Hong Kong, for a kung fu death match!

Take a moment to watch my German travel TV show appearance, and let me know what you think. Thanks to all my friends and family for making this episode a success. We couldn’t have done it without you.

la carmina travel tv show host

PS: We were so busy running around that it was hard to take photos. Here is a clearer head-to-toe of the outfit I wore on this travel TV show. These were shot at Pacific Cebu Resort (more photos here.)

25 Comments

  1. Ender
    Posted October 28, 2015 at 1:13 am | Permalink

    I would wear kpop boy clothes too. Good idea.

  2. erinbaby
    Posted October 28, 2015 at 1:13 am | Permalink

    Cool show girl! Get it!

  3. cleo
    Posted October 28, 2015 at 1:14 am | Permalink

    Homg U did a show with Palina. I am from Germany so i know well.

  4. Gretchen
    Posted October 28, 2015 at 1:31 am | Permalink

    Congratulations on the tv show.

  5. Martina
    Posted October 28, 2015 at 2:51 pm | Permalink

    Yarrrrr M

  6. sri
    Posted October 28, 2015 at 2:52 pm | Permalink

    beautiful photos of HongKong.

  7. Rayanne
    Posted October 28, 2015 at 2:52 pm | Permalink

    I saw you on Inside!!!!!!!!!
    From Berlin.

  8. Jane See
    Posted October 28, 2015 at 2:53 pm | Permalink

    <3 <3 <3

  9. Angel
    Posted October 29, 2015 at 6:15 pm | Permalink

    K pop is love

  10. Xaaniv
    Posted October 29, 2015 at 6:15 pm | Permalink

    Good work

  11. Tweet me
    Posted October 29, 2015 at 6:15 pm | Permalink

    Excite on your blog made me excited hehehee

  12. Emily
    Posted October 29, 2015 at 6:16 pm | Permalink

    I never thought of that using men’s pieces! I love Korean style too

  13. Jen
    Posted October 31, 2015 at 7:03 pm | Permalink

    Hong Kong looks like fun.

  14. Carey
    Posted October 31, 2015 at 7:04 pm | Permalink

    Nice to meet you the other day! Let’s work together soon. Carey

  15. am eye
    Posted October 31, 2015 at 7:04 pm | Permalink

    So cool so cool so cool so cool cool

  16. Swab
    Posted October 31, 2015 at 7:05 pm | Permalink

    I wish I could see the whole episode, too bad I don’t live in Germany!

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