Costume inventory template
For school, community and professional wardrobes: each costume with its period, size and measurements, the rail or box it lives on, its condition, and the last show it was in.
Free, no sign-up, no email. The costume inventory imports into ItemTally as it is.
Preview and print
Costume inventory
| Name | Barcode / asset ID | Type | Category | Period | Size | Measurements | Colour | Location | Condition | Last show | Photo link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victorian frock coat, green velvet | W-1042 | unique | coat | 1890s | 40R | Chest 102, waist 90 | Bottle green | Wardrobe / Rail 4 | Show-ready | A Christmas Carol (2025) | Let out 3 cm at the waist | |
| Flapper dress, beaded | W-1107 | unique | dress | 1920s | UK 10 | Bust 86, waist 70 | Black and silver | Wardrobe / Rail 9 | Fragile | The Great Gatsby (2024) | Hand wash only | |
| Tudor doublet, brocade | W-0988 | unique | doublet | Tudor | M | Chest 96 | Red and gold | Loft / Box 12 | Needs repair | Twelfth Night (2023) | Two buttons missing | |
| Bowler hat | quantity | hat | 1900s | 57 cm | Black | Wardrobe / Hat shelf | Show-ready | Six in stock | ||||
Your browser's print dialog can also save the sheet as a PDF. Example rows are shown in green and only print if you tick the box.
What it's for
A wardrobe is an inventory nobody else's template fits: thousands of one-off garments, sorted by period and size, kept on rails and in boxes, and lent between shows and to other companies. The questions are specific. Do we have a 1920s dress in a 10? Where's the green frock coat? Was it altered for last year's Scrooge?
This template answers those with period, size and measurements columns, a rail or box location, condition and the last show it appeared in. Tag numbers sewn inside garments go in Barcode / asset ID. It imports into ItemTally with a photo link column, so photos come across with the costumes.
The columns, and what to write
| Column | What to write | In ItemTally |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Garment and a describing word: Victorian frock coat, green velvet. | Name |
| Barcode / asset ID | The number on the tag sewn inside. | Barcode or code (old labels keep scanning) |
| Type | unique for a one-off thing you lend (it has its own history), quantity for stock you count. | Kind (counted or unique) |
| Category | Garment type: coat, dress, hat, footwear. | Tags |
| Period | 1890s, 1920s, Tudor, contemporary. | Custom field (pick it when matching columns) |
| Size | UK 12, M, 40R. | Custom field (pick it when matching columns) |
| Measurements | Chest, waist, inside leg, in cm. | Custom field (pick it when matching columns) |
| Colour | Custom field (pick it when matching columns) | |
| Location | Wardrobe / Rail 4, or Loft / Box 12. | Location (folder path) |
| Condition | Show-ready, needs repair, fragile. | Custom field (pick it when matching columns) |
| Last show | The production it was last worn in. | Custom field (pick it when matching columns) |
| Photo link | A public link to a photo (for example a shared image URL). ItemTally fetches it on import. | Photo links |
| Notes | Alterations, who it was fitted for, cleaning notes. | Notes |
Keep numbers plain (249.00, not €249) and write dates as 2026-10-16. Saving a CSV from Excel? Choose CSV UTF-8; it saves the tab you're on.
How to use it
-
Tag as you catalogue
Sew or pin a numbered tag inside each garment. Write the number in Barcode / asset ID. Woven tags and laundry-safe labels survive washing.
-
Catalogue rail by rail
Work through one rail or box at a time so Location is right from the start. Period and size are what you'll search by later.
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Measure once
Record the key measurements. It saves trying a coat on three actors before finding it was taken in for a smaller one.
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Update after each show
When a production closes, update Last show, Condition and Notes for everything that was worn, before it goes back on the rail.
When you outgrow paper
When the wardrobe outgrows the spreadsheet
Spreadsheets struggle with photos and with lending. ItemTally handles both.
| On the sheet | In ItemTally |
|---|---|
| Photo links in a column | Photos on every costume, visible when you scan its tag. |
| Searching rows for a 1920s dress in a 10 | Period, size and measurements as custom fields on every costume. |
| Lending to another company | Hand it over with a due date; share links let other companies request items for dates. |
| Where did it go after the show? | Every move and loan in the costume's logbook. |
Moving over is one upload: the Costumes tab imports with its columns matched, and you can import it again later to update what's there. Free for one editor and ten borrowers, with unlimited items. Scanning works in your phone's browser. How switching works.
Questions people ask
How do I label costumes without damaging them?
Use a sewn-in woven tag or a laundry-safe iron-on label inside a seam. Print the number and, if you like, a small QR code; scanning a tag opens the costume.
Can I lend costumes to other theatres?
On paper, add a line to an equipment loan register. In ItemTally, hand the costume over with a due date, and other companies can request items through a share link.
Will photos import?
Yes, if the Photo link column holds public image links. ItemTally fetches each one during the import. Photos stored only on your computer need to be added on the item afterwards.
Keep the columns. Lose the clipboard.
ItemTally reads this file as it is, and your labels keep scanning.
Free for one editor and ten borrowers, with unlimited items. No card needed.