Knockoff Nation(continued)
Retail Price: $7,864.48 Next best thing: Your pick of celebrities' couture outfits. Legality: As long as Schwartz doesn't try to pass it off as a real Vera Wang, he's in the clear. How to get it: These fine threads are available in department stores, or on absstyle.com.
Retail Price: $80–$250 Next best thing: A Shuffle or Nano so cunningly counterfeited that Apple has warned its own affiliates about the fakes. And if the knockoff music players can fool retailers, chances are your coworkers and the muggers in the subway won't be able to tell the difference, either! The phony iPods come without dock connectors, have irregular headphone jacks, and are packaged in boxes stamped with the words "digital music player," unlike real Apple products. Legality: You'll have a hell of a time explaining to your cellmate what you're in for. How to get it: Since Apple HQ raised the alarm in March, most of the counterfeits have probably been pushed out of the stores, so check eBay.
Retail Price: $640 Next best thing: A counterfeit so artfully done even Sassicaia's vintner, the Marquis Nicolo Incisa della Rochetta, admits it's a flawless wine. Forgers assembled identical bottles, complete with seals and detailed labels, and filled them with a Cabernet-Montepulciano d'Abruzzo blend that perfectly mimicked the original's bouquet. Insiders in the Italian wine industry were recently busted with 20,000 bottles of the stuff, which they had been selling for $100 a bottle. Many other top-shelf wines, including Penfolds Grange and Chateau Mouton Rothschild, have been the targets of counterfeiters, who often simply slap fake French or Australian labels on Chinese wine and sell them for list price (in some cases, up to $3,000 a bottle). The Chinese versions might be a little iffy, but if you can get your hands on a bottle of fake Sassicaia, you can tickle your taste buds without emptying your wallet. Legality: This wine is definitely not kosher. How to get it: Go to Tuscany and look for a guy selling them out of a red Fiat hatchback. < BACK TO Features |
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