What is the difference between a sham and a pillowcase?
Both are used to protect pillow inserts and there are a wide variety of constructions; even more confusing, the Oxford pillowcase in England is the same as a standard flanged sham in the United States. Typically pillowcases loosely encase the pillow and are open on the side, whereas shams are more fitted and employ some method of closure to keep the pillow in place. At MATTEO, we always offer shams as well as pillowcases in our fine sheeting, but for the “top-of-the-bed” textiles that we use for our duvet covers we only offer shams because of their more decorative function in the United States. Our shams range from the classic voluminous flanged sham to modern designs edged with sleek piping and held with an invisible zipper.
