Significance of Black Coat and Watchcap

Smith wears her same coat and watchcap most days, as they form a part of her identity. The coat is only suitable for fall and spring, but she loves them both. She got the coat from a poet who gave it to her on her birthday upon her wish. It had been his but he did not have a present and said he would give her anything. The coat was an unlined Comme des Garçons and had become very frayed and moth-bitten when she lost it one winter. She mentions buying another watchcap from a street vendor in New York.