Donald J. Pliner gave a talk on the UM campus last month during the same entrepreneurship event that Red Carter was at. He wore the same outfit he's wearing in his most recent catalog cover (above), accompanied by a rock-star-designer aura. It sounded like he lived through some pretty boss times in the fashion world, although he was definitely not without his ups and downs.
Pliner seems like a genuinely cool guy. His wife, Lisa, was there with him, and it is apparent they have a wonderful marriage. The way they interacted with each other was extremely refreshing. Their daughter is adopted, and Donald is truly passionate about his charity that builds playground for underprivileged kids; he even got choked up talking about it.
Like an idiot, I forgot my camera. However, I somehow managed to remember to bring the catalog and a Sharpie. When I went up to have Donald autograph my favorite page in the catalog, I got really self conscious about the fact that I was wearing Michael Kors shoes - I felt like a traitor
