Publication Date: Friday, February 11, 2005
Nice threads
Nice threads
(February 11, 2005) Tightly woven Egyptian cotton could even please a princess
by Carol Blitzer
Luxury linens are giving the old "I'll just slip into something comfortable" a completely new meaning.
And, if you're looking for a sumptuous Valentine's Day gift, there's nothing quite like the soft, smooth feel of cotton sheets with thread counts topping 1,000 per square inch and prices easily reaching $1,000 per set.
But, as a customer of Sandra Laughlin -- who runs a Web-based linen business, Laughlin Designs, from her Palo Alto home -- wrote, "Just wanted to let you know that our anniversary was a success! Keep telling customers that the men stop complaining about the price once they actually sleep on the sheets!"
What makes luxury linens feel so good? A combination of long-staple Egyptian cotton and tightly woven fabrics, said both Laughlin and Michael Bence, manager of Duxiana in Palo Alto.
"Egyptian cotton is of the finest in the world," Bence said, adding that it simply cannot be grown in the U.S. because of the weather and soil conditions. The longer fibers are more labor-intensive to grow and are typically harvested only every two years, he said.
"You can have a 200-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheet that's softer than a 300-count American sheet," he added.
Of course, the best sheets combine both high-thread count with the longer-fiber Egyptian cotton (which is actually grown in the Middle East and Africa). Laughlin's preference for the 1,000-plus thread count is Sferra. At first she feared the sheets would be stiff, but "I bought it and washed it and it comes out of the dryer gorgeous," she said.
Although much of her business is via her Web site (www.snuggledown.com), Laughlin does keep samples in her home and will let locals view and touch before ordering. Her customers have ranged from a young woman just graduating from law school who wanted a treat to people looking to furnish a new home. She even bought a set of sheets for her 3-year-old grandson, who agreed to forego Thomas the Tank Engine or Spider-Man for blissfully soft white sheets.
Although the sheets come in a rainbow array of colors, both Laughlin and Bence sell more white and ecru. Today's fashion statement calls for white sheets with fancy stitching. "I've been seeing more embroidered items and lace," Laughlin said.
Many customers introduce their colors in the duvet covers, which are available in eye-catching floral designs, Bence added.
Laughlin's customers come from every state in the Union, except North and South Dakota. She attributes her customer's taste to exposure to European luxury hotels. "People are informed. They've been places and have felt (the linens)," she said, noting she will often send small samples so people can feel exactly what they're ordering.
And if the linens don't meet expectations, most can be sent back to the manufacturer -- unless they've been custom ordered (with monograms, for example), she said. And sometimes there's a restocking fee.
Laughlin often corresponds with her customers, to make sure they are getting exactly what they want. "You form bonds with people you've never met. They send me their wedding pictures, or pictures of their dog. One man sent me a CD of himself singing," she said.
Even in luxury linens there's quite a range of prices. Laughlin noted that a queen-size set of the lower-end Tesoro, an Italian-made, Egyptian herringbone cotton with 406 threads/square inch, sells for $454. Contrast that with Milos, at 1,020 threads and $953 (on sale).
At Duxiana, one can find queen sets between $350 and about $1,100, Bence said. Or, there's a silk version for about $900.
The St. Geneve high-count cotton is made with double-stranded cotton that's twisted together and woven tightly. "To me it doesn't make it any softer. It gives a thicker feel," Bence added.
Both Laughlin and Bence noted that caring for luxury linens can extend their life, which Bence estimated at three to five years. A key caution is to never use bleach or harsh detergents, wash in tepid water and dry at low heat -- or hang outside to dry. Each warned that washing sheets with towels can cause the sheets to pill.
"They're expensive so you really want to take care of them," Bence said, adding that a hot dryer can burn the fabric.
Although things have slowed down since the dot-com heyday, people are still buying a $6,000 Duxiana mattress, then topping it with $2,500 in bedding. Bence recalls one amazing day when a man came in and purchased seven beds for his new house.
"He must really appreciate his guests," he said.
"Our customers understand quality. People around here like the best," he added.
Assistant Editor Carol Blitzer can be reached at cblitzer@paweekly.com.
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