Lauren B. Lev, Marketing: Fashion and Related Industries ’82, adjunct assistant professor of Advertising and Marketing Communications, joined this year’s alumni trip, “Paris Through the Lens of Art and Fashion.” She wrote about her experience for Hue:

For me and my husband, real decisions get made in a red plastic booth at the local McDonald’s in Wantagh, New York, over Quarter Pounders, Chicken McNuggets, and (ironically) French fries.

“Do you really want to go on the FIT alumni trip?” my spouse wondered. I replied, “I would be a lot more disappointed if I said ‘no’ than ‘yes.’ So the answer is yes.” Even then, I knew it was the decision of a lifetime.

Fast forward to Julie Sygiel, director of Alumni Relations and Development for the FIT Foundation, greeting me at JFK airport with her unique and infectious exuberance on our Sunday night departure. I was ready for adventure.

Looking back, I consider this trip like a shiny coin: One side had the magnificent classic tourist spots that define this city: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles. The history, the tradition, the splendor.

The other side of the coin had unparalleled visits choreographed by Julie and Helen Gaudette, assistant dean for International Education. We went on excursions that connected us to places and people who shared our love of fashion, art, and FIT.

We were welcomed into the Christian Dior archives by a white-gloved historian who showed us the fashion house’s dresses, accessories, jewelry, and perfumes typically shared with only the current design staff. We saw private client donations of magnificent ball gowns, even a glimpse of the red slippers of Wallis Simpson. History was unleashed with every soft grey box or white garment bag the archivist opened.

We also listened to the candid perspectives of Joyce Green, managing director of Chanel France. Hearing her origin story and her vision of the future for the brand, I was moved by her grace and generosity. She treated our visit like a conversation among friends. And in many ways, it was.

The unexpected standout for me was meeting fellow FIT alumni living abroad at a social gathering at L’École, School of Jewelry Arts. Although not very skilled in light cocktail conversation, I felt surprisingly at ease, especially talking with FIT students who studied with my colleagues in the Marketing Communications Department. Many sent their regards to these professors by name. It felt a lot like home, 3,622 miles away from 27th Street and Seventh Avenue.

Before we went to Paris, our traveling group (ages 20s through 80s) dubbed ourselves “TrèsFIT.” Having traveled with these amazing graduates from different decades and majors—entrepreneurs, industry people, and designers alike—I now suspect the label was kismet.