Himru can best be described as cotton and silk brocade where the extra silk weft, which is used for patterning, is thrown over the surface only where the actual pattern appears, the rest of the patterning thread being left to hang loosely beneath the surface of the fabric. Because of this, the material has to be lined and is ideally suited for winter. Himru thus differs from other mixed fabrics such as mashru, where the entire fabric is woven with the silk weft in a regular satin-weave.