Elie Saab Couture Fall '12 .

♫ ♪ Florence + The Machine - What The Water Gave Me

Though they were intricately embroidered and heavily beaded, many of the Constantinople era inspired garments in Elie Saab's Fall 2012 Couture collection looked light as air when they came down the runway. Saab said he focused on "infusing the collection with imperial splendor," so all 46 looks were of the same high-glamour, sparkly ilk that has made Saab a red-carpet staple. The almost ephemeral quality of many of these dresses and gowns came from their materials: sheer fabrics played host to rich embellishments, like Ottoman Empire motifs and fabric treatments that looked like gold leaf from afar. But the collection was brought back down to the ground with dresses in solid fabrics, too, which he decorated with the same expert hand he applied to the other breezy fabrics that floated down the runway. The Lebanese designer also embraced a varied color palette of champagne, rose-pink, peacock, sky blue, antiqued gold and jade sometimes accented with abstract patterns. For the finale, Saab presented a bridal gown in silvery organza embossed with gold brocade leaves shimmering like a jewel in a crown.