Not to put you on the spot, but how often do you raise your hand and go first? There's a strategic psychology behind the move, no doubt about it-it suggests confidence, ease and a little bravado. And the thing about Fashion Week schedules is that they are more or less set from season to season. So if you show on Day 1 of NYFW at 12PM-as Creatures of the Wind does-it means you're among the first to show every time the ready-to-wear collections come around.

Today's spring '16 offering from design duo Shane Gabier and Chris Peters, presented just north of Chelsea and just this side of noon, was "an exploration of cycles of time."

In other words, the perfect way to kick off a month of spring fashion in the middle of an autumnal transition.

Gabier and Peters are known for two things: 1) the complex ideas behind their often vintage-skimming looks and 2) the cool girls who wholeheartedly embrace their concepts and rock them like it's exactly no big deal.

So in a room that held the likes of Tavi (with a new super short 'do), Preetma and Susie, as well as industry legends Lynn Yaeger and Cathy Horyn, a collection of long colorful skirts worn with red kicks and spaghetti strap, shoulder-skimming day dresses over open-toe fishnets was very well received.

The sneakers are a collaboration between the Creatures team and APL, or Athletic Propulsion Labs, but they weren't the only news to cross the raised wooden platforms that dotted the runway.

Spring '16 has the guys experimenting with shoes in a big way-from hand-painted snake textures to removable acrylic anklets.

But overall, the story they told was one of "common themes" and "recognizable forms"-but not necessarily in any sort of historically accurate order. Gabier and Peters are talented collage artists, and the '80s, the '90s, the '70s were all there in shades of apricot, red, amber, and army green-rendered in linen, hand-fringed jacquard, floral chiffon with metallic stripes and jeans decorated with black stars. The designers put wide, cuffed-leg trousers next to asymmetrical hems and moto jackets alongside hand-embroidered floral embellishments like, well, again, like it's no big deal.

Spring '16 looks wonderfully easy, no matter how thoughtful and philosophical the ideas behind it.

One more look at the sneaker that could give Nike a run for its money come spring:

See all our Fashion Week coverage, shop the trends, and get inspired on our
Designer Collections Fashion Week Hub.

Shop the current season: Creatures of the Wind at SPACE

-Laura Cassidy