Things That Are Better Left As Is
At work, an IT "upgrade" means half a day of lost productivity as computers fail to log on, Office fails to open, and screens freeze at the most inopportune of moments. In culture, an "update" usually means a resurrected TV show or movie from days of yore--like way back in the 1990s--that will be re-made for no apparent reason other than the lure of more money. In cosmetics, a new line of products or colors all to often means the discontinuation of your favorite color (if anybody has a tube or two of Clinique Super Berry lipstick, you could make my mom a very happy woman). Sometimes things are perfect the way they are, and we should applaud those manufacturers who know that perfection doesn't need to be tampered with.
Outside magazine published an homage this week to those classic products that are as perfect today as they were when they were first made, for which any updates have only enhanced--not fundamentally altered--the originals and which have are merely complemented, not displaced, by new options. From L. L. Bean's classic boots to Ray-Ban's Aviator sunglasses and Levi's 501s jeans, these are companies that had the good sense to recognize a classic when they made it.
The renewed appreciation for things authentic and iconic is one of the millennial hipster's great contributions to the world. Maybe their skinny jeans and ironic beards are just the price we had to pay for the cultivation of a new customer base for the classics. As the proud and decidedly un-hip owner of several of the article's highlighted products, I promise they're accessible to a wide range of age groups and social circles. If you're reluctant to try Birkenstocks for fear of looking like you're selling artisanal soaps or concerned that wearing a Synchilla fleece will cause strangers to ask for directions to the local microbrewery, fear not. Your grandparents are just as likely to own any of these items as your barista. So buck up, li'l camper--I bet you can wear them too! For the whole list, check out the article here.
