Label inquiry (photo)- "Lim's, Made in Shanghai"- is it vintage?

Kora D.

Kora D.

Registered Guest
Greetings! So I've come across a gorgeous vintage long crochet-lace skirt. It is by "Lim's". As you can see from the tag, it was made in Shanghai. Does anyone have any knowledge about this label? How to date the piece? I realize that anything made in China is a red flag, but I'm certain this is a vintage piece, as the yellowing of the cotton and the style of the label would suggest so. Any information on dating Chinese-made items would also be much appreciated. :)
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Hi, we would need to see the whole garment, plus any other labels (or the back if there is anything on that lower one) in order to date the garment.
 
I remember chinatown in Vancouver having stores with racks and racks of cotton crochet skirts, blouses, vests, and cardigans in the late 1970s and early 1980s, if that is of any help.
 
Here is a photo of the skirt. It looks 60's or 70's to me. I was just thrown by the origin of manufacture. Did we (the US) sell items made in Shanghai during this time period (60's-70's)? There are no other tags. No modern overlock stitching. It's beautifully made. Fully crocheted.
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that looks vintage, but as melanie says, we'd need to see the whole skirt to help you date it. just going by the label, it looks later 70s.

china has made clothing all along; it's the u.s. or western clothing with the small 'made in china' manufacture tag on or near the fabric content tags that's the red flag.

someone here has a fabulous crochet dress with the lims label. i can't think of who it is right now, but perhaps she'll post.

added: just saw your photo. i still think late 70s. it's lovely.
 
Great feedback, friends! This will really help when I list it for sale in my Etsy shop. What are the earliest pieces any of you have seen made in Shanghai, but obviously sold in the US?
 
I am sorry I am so late to reply but Lim's is making items like your today and is very popular on eBay. All the items of this brand are made to look like they are vintage but I honestly do not know if the label goes back 20 years. The RN number shows the names of the company as Lims, inc. I will see if I can find out more for you.
 
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The good news is your skirt is possibly vintage and as for the age - anytime from 1992 to present. Here is information about the company: Asiana Pacifica Services, Inc. is a California Corporation filed on September 3, 1992. The company's filing status is listed as Suspended and its File Number is C1712242.
The Registered Agent on file for this company is Ebbe Videriksen and is located at 15438 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks, CA . The company's principal address is 15438 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. The company has 1 principal on record. The principal is Sandra T Lim from Sherman Oaks CA.
 
PersonalPursuits said:
The good news is your skirt is possibly vintage and as for the age - anytime from 1992 to present. Here is information about the company: Asiana Pacifica Services, Inc. is a California Corporation filed on September 3, 1992. The company's filing status is listed as Suspended and its File Number is C1712242.
The Registered Agent on file for this company is Ebbe Videriksen and is located at 15438 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks, CA . The company's principal address is 15438 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. The company has 1 principal on record. The principal is Sandra T Lim from Sherman Oaks CA.
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nice detective work, maxine :)

i'm surprised. that label doesn't look like it's from the 90s - in appearance and also with 'made in shanghai.' ventura boulevard in sherman oaks is near my old stomping grounds. irrelevant, but it brings back memories.

for no good other reason than fun, here's google maps street view of the importer's former location:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.154...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sjxlukco6y34Ti834tqqiEA!2e0
 
I also had my suspicions it was later, because how long have RN numbers been on labels? plus the close up shows quite a shiny cotton, not the matte softer cotton I'd expect from an older crocheted item. 90s does 70's makes sense to me, it was happening in other areas of fashion at that time too.
 
Joan, I thought it might be late 1980's because of when Lim's registered as a corporation in 1992 and many companies begin a lot earlier than the date they become incorporated, which is the main reason why I thought the skirt might have been prior to 1992. I hope this explanation helped explain my logic.
 
PersonalPursuits said:
Joan, I thought it might be late 1980's because of when Lim's registered as a corporation in 1992 and many companies begin a lot earlier than the date they become incorporated, which is the main reason why I thought the skirt might have been prior to 1992. I hope this explanation helped explain my logic.
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thanks for the explanation, maxine. it looks late 70s, possibly early 80s to me. i didn't think about companies that began a lot earlier, before incorporation. i do know the rn database is off when it comes to hawaiian firms. i had, for instance, a hawaiian togs rayon paki muu' that was clearly 40s, but hawaiian togs was registered in the 60s.
 
Joan, there is always the chance to be wrong on dating from an rn database but I only used that to find out the name of the company and went on from there. The skirt may be from earlier but I would need more information to believe it is because this company specializes in creating older looking new pieces. This particular skirt is called Timeless Classic and there was a taupe, a black and a natural with what appears to be the same design as this skirt sold in February.
 
I see '90s for this skirt, as per the style, material and labels - you see earlier "Made in Shanghai" labels but they were for the tourist market. I don't think China opened up to commercial exporting until the '90s. I saw similar styles around '93.
 
I see this is an older thread and normally I would suggest that you create a new thread so the items being commented on did not get confused but being this is the same label the information provided may be useful for all.
Lim's does offer items on eBay through the eBay user name china-usa.
In some of their listings as I did not check all they state that they have been doing business with China since 1979 when China opened their doors for trading. They go on to say they have specialized in hand crochet and hand embroidery using almost all natural yarns, tablecloths, and accessories.
They also say they still make items today and that most are made with vintage lace tablecloths and accessories that are unable to be duplicated today due to the increasing labor cost in China.
Being Lim's offers both vintage garments and modern garments made from vintage fabrics you might be able to reach out to them directly through eBay to get more precise information on dating.
Code: 
http://stores.ebay.com/collectiblecrochethandworklace/
 
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