This Weeks Find--Pratesi at Homegoods!

A Wall Street Journal article summed up Italian linen house Pratesi pretty well: "Pratesi is the Chanel of bedding. It's a label synonymous with everything posh: flawless fabric, a historic design archive and top-drawer clients. For three generations, the linens dynasty has had a lock on the high end of the market and its customers have included everyone from Liz Taylor to Stella McCartney. Even the notoriously picky Michael Jackson demanded only Pratesi sheets for his houses."

What makes a Pratesi sheet so special, aside from the ability to brag that one is slumbering on the same bedding as royalty?  Simply put, they are exquisitely made to last a lifetime. Made only from the first spinning of a special Egyptian cotton that produces 4-6 inch long fibers, a Pratesi sheet (or any sheet made from similar fiber) is much smoother than a "regular" Egyptian cotton sheet made from shorter fibers. (Pratesi also offers linen sheeting, an acquired taste I won't attempt to address here.)


The Pratesi signature is embroidery--all of the simply outlined "hotel" sheets that have popped up on every shelf in the world are quite simply knock offs of what Pratesi has done for over a century. 

Perhaps the best known Pratesi pattern is the oft-copied classic "3-line"

Another of their crisp embroidered patterns.

So what does a set of these luxurious sheets cost? Well, a king sized set of cotton 3-lines runs around $1500. No, I didn't put an extra zero in there. A linen set is even more, and the more elaborate embroidery patterns are also more expensive.

So imagine my shock and joy at finding a set of Pratesi sheets at Homegoods for just a little over $200. They unfortunately do not have the signature embroidered lines, mine have a simple "Pratesi" logo stitched discreetly in the corners, but they are nonetheless HEAVENLY. A quick search online reveals that others have found Pratesi duvets at TJ Maxx/Homegoods/Marshalls recently too--so you may want to RUN to your nearest location and see if you can score this unbelievable find!