Even if that could be done, gravity would cause water to flow down the kite string onto the silk cord, ruining its insulating power.

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Columnar in shape, falling from the shoulders to the ground, with sometimes a silk cord at the waist or under the bust, it is made from China silk that has been hand-worked into thousands of vertical pleats a process invented by Fortuny, and one that invests the silk with both iridescence and a springy eternal life.

WSJ: The Rich Pleasures of Pleats | Fortuny | Spanish Institute | By Laura Jacobs

To the end of the string is tied a metal key, and to the key is attached a silk (nonconductive) cord, which the experimenter holds.

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