In the Italian film I am Love (Io Sono l’amore), Tilda Swinton plays Emma Recchi, a wife in a powerful Italian textile manufacturing family. The family can be considered a Milanese dynasty, with wealth that dates back multiple generations. Raf Simmons of Jil Sander designed the costumes and pieces from Fendi were also used.
The film takes place in 2001 and in order to achieve Recchi’s look, Simmons’ had to keep the costumes elegant and refined. In one scene, Swinton’s character runs errands wearing a streamlined grey knee length coat, cream blouse, grey pearls, and nude sunglasses. Her understated yet perfectly tailored clothes combined with her posture and Birkin bag indicate her social status. Moreover, Emma Recchi does not come from a wealthy family, but rather married into one. Therefore, she must try even harder to exemplify the look of a Milanese aristocrat. This is reflected in her clothing as it is always perfect to the point of being unreal (indicating an outsider).