The material is way more luxurious than the picture can show.  It's very smooth, almost velvety, and very rich.  I got the navy blue and the hue is gorgeous.  The tie-up function is pretty cumbersome and not real practical for curtains you plan to raise and lower on a daily basis.  However, I have short (bedroom) windows so they'll almost always be tied up to the length of just barely covering the window, and rarely raised -- which is what I wanted anyway.  Perfect for me, and I'm very pleased.