Hi Arion,
Complicated question but I'll have a go at it...
For each piece or look that goes down the runway there are 2 or more similar ones that may have not made the cut and are likely hanging back in the showroom.
If a show is well received, buyers and editors will make appointments to view the collection as a whole to decide what they will order for stores or want in the pages of their magazines. There is also a 'look book' that documents a show or collection that allows a buyer to flip thru a book to review the collection without having to travel to the showroom. Accessories such as shoes, bags and other items are also included. Accessories are usually the real money makers for the fashion houses.
Once orders come in - or not - decisions about which pieces to produce are made. Production is something I can't begin to address here.
You've described several scenarios - all of which I've seen - there is no one right answer to your question - for more unusual pieces there may be a simplified version
that also gets diffused down into less expensive lines.
There's a scene in the Jay McCarroll documentary, Eleven Minutes, where Jay is discussing the production of a really wonderful, colorful and complicated dress. The production manager is unable to complete a production sample because of the extraordinary number of pieces in the dress. An amazing piece but impossible from a production standpoint - too difficult to make - impossible to sell.
I'm not familiar with merchandising and production at Dior but I suspect that while Galliano's clothes sometimes look wild and unwearable - buyers, merchandisers and senior management must have had some say in the collection before it is shown. A designer no matter how over-the-top is still always subject to some business review.
Fashion is first and foremost a business.
Best,
Anthony
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