Duvets

First of all, to clear up any confusion - - a duvet is the same thing as a down comforter, and a duvet cover is what you put over your duvet to protect it. Duvets are filled with down or a down and feather blend, whereas a comforter might be filled with polyester fiber. In fact, many people associate comforters with colorful, decorative poly-fiber filled bed covers that often come in comforter sets; whereas duvets are almost always white or off-white with the expectation that they will be used with a duvet cover. Because duvets are quite expensive and difficult to wash, the duvet cover acts to protect it (a cover can be washed quite easily). Another matter of confusion is what is down vs. feathers? In fact, down is the very fine stuff that is located underneath the bird’s feathers. Down looks like little cotton balls with a round center called a plumule. Each plumule has thousands of tiny fibers emanating from its core which is what makes down lofty and warm. We carry only down filled duvets, not any down and feather blends because feathers have quills, and they are what can poke out of the fabric ticking. Pure down is super soft and is never scratchy. Purchasing down duvets can also be very confusing. The marketplace is full of a huge variety of down products at vastly varying prices. To compare down products you should have a few pieces of information: the fill power, the fill weight, the quality of the ticking (fabric covering), and how it is constructed. The fill power is a rating indicative of the quality of the down. Higher fill powers have higher lofting capability (per ounce of down) which makes them warmer. This is ideal when you want warmth but also lightness. The fill weight is the actual weight of the down in the particular item, knowing this is the key to compare duvets of the same fill power so you can determine the relative value. The quality of the ticking is also important because you want a high quality lightweight fabric. The construction refers to whether the duvet is made with baffle boxes or if it is sewn-through. Baffle boxes are preferable because they allow the down to stay loftier. You can read more about down on our Understanding down bedding page.