Categorising Costume Items

Often when it comes to obtaining costume pieces there are two main types of item, screen accurate (SA) and alternatives (alt). Like most things however it is not always black and white and there exist several shades of grey in-between. This article is my attempt to create a clearer system of categorisation and shorthand for costume pieces:

Category	Shorthand	Definition	Examples
Screen Worn	SW	The exact item physically used in the show’s production.	Production items auctioned through Bonhams ‘The Name of the Doctor’ competition bow tie.
Screen Accurate	SA	An item completely indistinguishable from the screen worn item, exact same manufacturer and model.	Chris Kerr H&S burgundy coat AllSaints Mode Merino (old style zip and logo)
Screen Accurate Variant	SA-V	An item that is screen accurate save for a one or two minor differences, perhaps from a different production batch or season.	Paul Smith S8 trousers (identical except pleats in wrong direction) AllSaints Mode Merino (new style zip and logo)
Screen Accurate Alternative	SA-alt	An item from the screen accurate manufacturer that has significant differences from a fully screen accurate piece though is overall very similar.	Paul Smith navy trousers (with fabric and certain features incorrect) AllSaints Fritz (alternative to Mode hoodie)
Screen Accurate Replica	SA-R	An item that was specially created by a different maker to replicate the original, though using screen accurate fabric.	Steve Ricks H&S burgundy coat Steve Ricks purple frock coat
Replica	R	An item that was specially created by a different maker to replicate the original, though using alternative fabrics.	Steve Ricks S8 navy coat Magnoli Clothiers (nearly all items) CosplaySky items
Alternative	alt	An off-the-shelf item not made by the original manufacturer but bears a resemblance (good or bad) to the original.	Moss Bros navy coat Topman navy pleated trousers

Note that I've excluded sizing differences as well as production team modifications such as distressing, dyeing, adding trouser cuffs, et cetera. This table is not to be taken as a hierarchy of accuracy, more of a categorisation, as even within individual categories there can be a world of difference in quality. Obviously there will still be some grey areas, such as the distinction between SA-V and SA-alt, however the vast majority of items should fit neatly into one of these seven categories.