Still Irked about the Comforter Demise article - Farm Animal?

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/111797/down-with-comforters
the author compares a comforter to the bedding equivalent of a ski parka, freshly washed stank of farm animal, and formless feathers corralled at one end and an empty carcass at the other end.

I would hazard to guess that I am vastly more experianced with farm animals.  Although I am probably lacking in actual ski parka knowledge.  Maybe this is actually a communication gap brought on by the differences in our shopping styles?  The author is probably a shopper at the higher end of the marketplace than myself.  The Chain-Mart that I frequent can only get real Goose Down comforters with the new Site-to-store ordering.  So, I should admit that I have never owned a real Goose Down anything until this last summer when my DH came home with a comforter from a yard sale.  It's gone through the washer and dryer several times, and I can't say that it''s ever had a barnyard smell.  (Thanks to the DH for getting me that extra capacity washer)  It is getting a little limp though.  The down seems to work it's way through the microfiber cover pretty easily.  It's been a fine coverup for the couch in the living room.

While I was researching, The Chain-Mart website did list Dry Clean Only as the way to go with the couple of real down filled items that they list.  Maybe that's the problem for that author?  Maybe the really expensive Down can't take normal washing?  Maybe the Down wasn't processed and cleaned properly?  Maybe the pet of the house makes itself at home with the downy thing while owner is away?

The only way I can figure for "formless feathers" to end up at one end of a Duvet is for there to be no "quilting" or "stitching" to keep them in place.  The only thing I can say for that is "What did you expect?"  This would be just one of the many reasons that our foremothers came up with quilting.  All the Comforters I've experienced have pretty generous, and sometimes curvaceous, lines of stitching that make pockets to hold the stuffing in place.  Be it Down, Down-alternative (poly-fiber-fill) or old fashioned Cotton fluff.  I would have to lay the fault for that one on the folly of placing fashionable design over functional construction.  Invariably, when the look is more important than the servicability, flaws will make themselves known.

Next up:  Suzani - what is it really?  http://www.estherfitzgerald.com/site_built_sept05/page_sets/04_islamic/index_04islamic.htm