Just What Is A Duvet Cover And Why Do You Need One?
You're out shopping with your sophisticated friend and she says, "I really want a new duvet cover for my bed this winter." You nod and agree: a duvet cover sounds like a wonderful idea. But in your head you're thinking: What the heck is a duvet anyway? Is it some ritzy magical blanket that only rich, sophisticated people have on their canopied beds?
A duvet (pronounced doo-vay) is nothing more than a down comforter—the kind that requires you to put a cover on them. That is the only distinction. Historically, a duvet (a French word) was a bag filled with down feathers, and that's basically what a duvet is.
Sounds simple, right? Not so fast. Because the word can mean different things to different people, depending who you're talking to. Some people call the cover that goes over a down comforter a duvet and some people call the down-feather-filled blanket a duvet. Other people call a duvet the high-end down-filled comforters found in the best bedding stores.
Regardless of what you call it, quality is paramount when considering purchasing a duvet. Because the word is used incorrectly—some manufacturers have the word "duvet" on synthetically-filled blankets—it's best for the consumer to understand what to look for in top-of-the-line comforters.
Most people, when purchasing a duvet, tend not to think enough about the material that's holding all those warmth-giving feathers in. That can be a mistake. You don't want tiny little feathers floating around your bedroom every time you make your bed, do you? If not, you'll want to buy a high quality comforter with tightly woven cotton or silk that's well-crafted and quilted. Acrylics don't breathe as well as natural fibers, so are not considered the best material for your duvet.
While the outside is important, it's really all about the inside. If something says it's 100 percent down, it's lying. That's because it is virtually impossible to have 100 percent down—without an errant feather or synthetic—get into your comforter. Clearly, the higher percentage of down the better. Down comforters are considered down if at least 75 percent of the fill is down.
While goose down is considered better than other kinds of down, manufacturers are not required to include that information on packaging. If a package states something is goose down, it is. If it doesn't, it could be duck down.
The crème de la crème of down is eiderdown, which by weight gives the most warmth. Expect these items to be quite pricey. However, you'll get more warmth from a lighter-weight duvet with this highest quality down.
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