Frequently asked questions

Porthault is pronounced Por-tó, and the 'D' stands for Daniel, who, with his wife Madeleine, founded the luxury linen house in Paris in 1920.

D. Porthault has built a reputation offering products that speak quietly but passionately of luxury, becoming a 'brand' long before brands were advertised as such. At once elegant and personal, luxurious and authentic, D. Porthault prides itself as much on its heritage of quality as on its discretion and loyalty to its clients.

Innovative, adventurous ~ part of the Paris café society ~ Madeleine Porthault pioneered fashion in home linens, introducing prints for the first time to bedding and terry. The house of D. Porthault built a reputation and portfolio based on collaborations with artists, intellectuals, and leaders in the world of theatre, fashion and society. To an audience that had only known white and ivory, Madeleine became the heroine of color and print. Today, D. Porthault's signature collections continue to be inspired by the world around us, and are filled with whimsical mixes of design and color.

D. Porthault has always had an extensive collection of solid color sheets and terry, producing most of its monogramming and custom work on white or ivory fabrics. D. Porthault's many tone-on-tone embroidered linens ~ whether restrained or fully embellished ~ testify to the enduring legacy of white and ivory at D. Porthault.

In addition to bedding and terry, D. Porthault designs and produces table linens, lingerie, and baby and children's clothing and accessories in signature prints and embroideries. Additionally, handkerchiefs, home fragrances, and other home and travel accessories are popular products of D. Porthault.

The entire D. Porthault collection is vast, including over 15,000 different prints, colorways and embroideries. We include many of our iconic prints on our website, and we are constantly updating these classics. Our website highlights all of D. Porthault's product categories, including bed linens, terry towels, table linens, lingerie, baby and children's clothing and gifts, home fragrances, and other accessories for the home and travel.

If the print you are looking for is not shown online, please contact one of our boutiques for assistance. If you are able to scan and send us a visual of your request, or if you know the print's name or D. Porthault reference number, we can research it for you. Although not always displayed in our stores, many of D. Porthault's historical prints and colorways are still available by special order.

Our factories are located in Normandy, on the west coast of France, and in Cambrai, in northern France. Both of these regions are historic sites of France's textile industry.

All D. Porthault boutiques stock our iconic as well as our seasonal Collection designs. Additionally, each boutique selects from the D. Porthault archives of prints and embroideries to customize their inventory for their individual clients.

Yes, we have an online gift registry that includes brides, new births, and all special occasions. Our trained sales associates would be pleased to assist you with your registry or with your personal selections.

Yes, our sales associates will be more than happy to suggest corporate gifts, or to work with you to customize a special request.

In France, a standard 4-piece full/queen set is composed of a top sheet, a flat bottom sheet and two European square shams. In the US and the UK, two standard size shams replace the Euro shams in a full/queen set.

In France, a standard 4-piece king or super king set is composed of a top sheet, a flat bottom sheet and two European square shams. In the US and the UK, two king size shams replace the Euro shams in a king set.

In France, a standard 3-piece twin set is composed of a top sheet, a flat bottom sheet and one European square sham. In the US and the UK, one standard size sham replaces the Euro sham in a twin set. Please note that in both Europe and the US, twin bed sets are available in limited quantities in our D. Porthault boutiques, but they are always available by special order.

In the European tradition, D. Porthault bottom sheets are not fitted. Mattress depths vary greatly, and if desired, our boutiques will custom fit bottom sheets for an additional charge.

All D. Porthault sheets are sold in sets. Rivoli is the only collection where sheets and shams can be purchased individually, rather than as a set. Currently, Rivoli is available exclusively in our boutique. Please contact us for more information.

All sheet set collections can be augmented with separate duvet covers and extra pillow shams of all sizes and designs.

The most important ingredients of fine linens are the sourcing and quality of the raw fibers and the weaving and finishing processes that occur before the textiles are printed or embellished. D. Porthault sheets are 400 thread count and derive from long-staple 100% Egyptian cotton ~ widely considered to be the best in the world. At every step in the process of sourcing, weaving and finishing, the D. Porthault team demands exceptional quality.

D. Porthault offers bedding on 100% Egyptian cotton percale, cotton sateen, or cotton voile, in addition to damask and linen. All terry towels are loomed from 100% Egyptian cotton. Bed covers are offered in quilted, matelassé or piqué cotton. Table linens, cocktail napkins and guest towels are offered in linen and cretonne (cotton duck) as well as in cotton percale.

For a pdf file of D. Porthault's fabric care in English, please click here.

For a pdf file of D. Porthault's fabric care in French, please click here. 

D. Porthault linens have been passed down from one generation to the next. Loving care and the ability to breathe through regular use are the only prerequisites!