New York - July 25, 2008

To Illustrate the Point

Death by Drone Clothing

Undervalued and laboring in obscurity, the little drone stares down the clock till quitting time.

She’s ready to die of boredom but is saved by one thought: Death by Drone, a local label so new you won’t see it until spring ’09. But a few pieces are on sale at Début, a forward-thinking Nolita boutique showcasing first-timers.

Our girl goes for the dark, fanciful hand illustrations on white dresses, like a balloon-shaped frock called A Moldy Brain Begets a Moldy Tea Cup. Evil Eye Through the Garden of Suffocation takes the cake with a unicorn walking the waistline — its horn dripping red down the skirt. Delicate and bizarre, with Edward Gorey-like ghastliness, it’s one obscure gem.

But before she tries it on, she gets picked off by a deranged shopper.

Death — and dress – becomes her.

Available at Début, 298 Mulberry Street, between Houston and Bleecker Streets (212-343-2717 or debutnewyork.com). To see styles, go to deathbydrone.com.