I ordered the cover to match the sheets I had ordered. It looks and feels elegant and comfortable; I wouldn't say soft is the correct description for the fabric, but smooth and comfortable come to mind. It certainly is pleasant to sleep under. It adds minimal weight and heat to the comforter, which is a plus in my opinion. I am extremely picky about most things, and this is no exception. Having said that, I would recommend it, and have already ordered a second as a back up, but do have two slight caveats: 1) On mine there are a couple "pills" for lack of a better term, they are extremely small, if you weren't looking for them you would look right over them; however, when I tried removing them thinking they were lint I discovered that they were knots in the thread. This sounds extremely bad, but they are so small, about the size of a needle's eye, that they do not bother me. 2) The buttons are sewn on rather poorly, one came off after two washes on the delicate cycle. I plan on having all the buttons re-sewn by a tailor. I realize these two things sound like I am un-satisfied with the duvet, and while they do slightly annoy me (mostly the button problem), I overall am still very happy with it and recommend it.