They are very soft and have a slight shimmer quality to them They are washing well and come out of the dryer with very minimal fine wrinkles. I have had since December and there is no pilling or other nubby anomalies. Pockets are very deep, I would not recommend the sheet for a flatter profile mattress - these sheets are made to go on 16" plus mattresses. The 1/4" elastic is around entire fitted sheet. The pillow cases are somewhat larger than the pillowcases I have previously had before - this is great for full filled pillows but does allow some folding under the face if your pillows are small. I have MP in queen medium and they slip loosely into the cases. They are cool to slip into and seem to breathe better than my previous sheets. I get hotter from the down duvet I purchased from MP and the sheets wick away some of that heat. For anyone interested in down duvets - Mikes are the best. I have them from several sources, but purchased my last one from Mike...absolutely superior quality in casing and lofty down.