Here I’ll be taking a look at two sheet sets from Frette.
Frette is a luxury home furnishing brand that started in Italy way back in 1860.
Its sheets can be found in some of the most prestigious hotels in the world and even in St. Peter’s Basilica.
To get an idea of what each sheet set has to offer, I’m going to do a little mix and matching. I’m going to use the percale woven Classic Hotel Sheet Set for the fitted sheet.
I’m going to use the Doppio Ajour Sheet Set, which is the sateen woven sheet set for the top sheet.
Then I’m going to do one of each pillowcase so we can really see what they’re all about.
I’ve got the Doppio Ajour set, which is the grey sateen woven set. Then I’ve got the hotel classic set, which is percale woven. I’ve got that in white.
Table of Contents
Materials
Starting with my personal favorite, which is the Doppio Ajour.
It’s called Doppio Ajour because doppio means double in Italian. Both the top of the top sheet and the pillowcases feature double open hemstitch, which is a signature for Frette.
The thread count is anywhere from 300 to 500.
Remember, thread count is not the deciding factor when it comes to sheet quality. It’s more about, among other things, the length of the fibers.
Both of these sheet sets are made from extra-long staple pure cotton. That’s leaving them feeling super soft. It’s also going to boost their durability as well.
The sateen set I’ve got is in Cliff Grey, there are other colors available. It’s feeling so silky smooth to the touch. Sateen woven sheets do tend to be silkier in feel. These are definitely no exception. These really have a very luxuriously buttery-smooth hand feel.
Also, it does have this lustrous sheen, which is adding to the luxury aesthetic of it. It’s making you feel like you’re in your own five-star hotel bed.
Each set, both the percale woven and the sateen woven set, comes with one fitted sheet, one top sheet, and two pillowcases.
The fitted sheet for the sateen woven set is able to fit mattresses up to 15 inches deep. It’s able to fit taller, more luxurious mattresses.
The percale set is also made from extra-long staple pure cotton. It’s feeling super soft and also very durable. As soon as I took it out of the package, I noticed how super crisp they feel.
As we know, percale woven sheets do tend to offer that crisp, cool hand feel. These are exceptionally crisp. They’re blending this perfect balance between crispness and softness.
The pillowcase has a little bit of a different look in the percale set. It opens on the end and has this double embroidered border and also has the company’s logo stitched. Feeling very crisp, very cool, light, and breathable.
The sateen set comes with a pillowcase that might even be one of my favorite parts about the set. It’s super unique. It has double open hemstitch, which is signature for the brand.
Then it has a very discrete opening in the back on the side. It’s a little bit hidden, took me a second to figure out where it was. I just think this is a really charming aesthetic.
Back to the percale set.
The thread count is anywhere between 200 and 240, feeling super light and breathable.
My first impressions of each set is that they are feeling very luxurious, which is what I was expecting, but really exceeding my expectations. They’re both so soft.
The sateen in this silky, lustrous way. The percale in this crisp, luxury hotel way.
Feel
Of course, the feel of each sheet set is going to be different because of their different weave styles.
Starting with the percale, which I’m using for the fitted sheet, I can tell that this extra-long staple cotton feels very durable.
I’ve been testing sheets long enough to, just by feeling them, be able to tell if they’re going to last you for a good long while. These do feel as durable as they feel soft. They do feel so soft.
I can’t stop rubbing my hands all over the material. You are even able to hear that they’re bringing this real hotel style crispness to it. This percale really does make you feel like you’re in your own luxury hotel room.
The sateen set is going to be more of the silky-smooth feel. Both of them are soft but in different ways. The percale is lighter. It’s going to be more breathable, probably more cooling.
The sateen lies heavier on the body. Sateen woven sheets do tend to be a bit thicker and lie heavier on the body. I’d say these are no exception.
Because of that, they’re offering this elegant, body-hugging drape that many people consider to be a basis of appeal for sateen sheets, myself included. It silhouettes your shape in this pretty and elegant way.
As I said, the fitted sheet is able to accommodate mattresses up to 15 inches deep. I think that the fitted sheet could probably stretch to fit mattresses even deeper than that.
Those of you with taller, luxuriously deep mattresses, you might like to know that you’ll probably be compatible with either of these sets.
I will say that both sets are a little wrinkly. That’s definitely to be expected from percale. Percale, across the board, tends to be a little more prone to wrinkles. The sateen is a little bit less wrinkly, but the wrinkles are certainly not detracting from the comfort.
I’m just loving rolling around in these sheets. They offer this luxuriously soft feel. Like I said, it’s making me feel like I’m in my own five-star hotel bedroom.
Pros
There’s a lot that I’m loving about both of these sheet sets.
First and foremost, they both just feel so luxuriously soft and also very durable. The extra-long staple cotton is going to contribute to this extra softness, better durability.
I’m loving the way they feel on my skin, which, at the end of the day, is the most important factor for me.
Another thing I’m loving is their look. I love the double embroidered border on the percale set.
My favorite, because I am preferential to a sateen weave, is how beautifully lustrous and shiny the sateen woven set is. It already feels so silky smooth, but it also looks silky smooth. I find it to be very inviting.
Same thing with the pillowcase. This pillowcase has unique design. I love the open hemstitch. They’re very pretty.
Cons
A couple things to note about both of these sheet sets.
While they do look and feel very luxurious, they also come with a luxury price tag.
The Doppio Ajour sateen woven set is about $1,100 for a queen size set. The percale is about $450 for a queen size set.
For some of you, it might be a little bit out of your budget.
Another thing is, as far as wash care is concerned, it’s not as easy as throwing them in the washer or dryer.
Because they’re not exactly inexpensive sheets, you’re going to want to care for them perfectly so they last you as long as possible.
The folks at Frette recommend that you use a mild biodegradable detergent on a cold wash cycle. Then, tumble dry on low heat until they’re almost done drying.
Then pull them out immediately to let them dry until they’re dry completely. It’s not the most complicated, but it’s still a little bit more maintenance than the average sheet set.
While many bedding brands offer a trial period for their sheets where you can order the sheets, try them out for a month or more, see how they blend with your lifestyle, then if you don’t like them, you can have them easily refunded or exchanged, Frette does not offer any such trial period.
They do offer a 30-day return policy. However, the sheets must be unwashed and unused. It’s not exactly a trial period.
Alex P. Davis has a BA in Interior Design from The New York School of Interior Design and 10 years of experience expertly designing sophisticated interiors.