---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is something I realized after…"
description: "\"This is something I realized after stepping away from women's fashion for the last five years. When you are inside, it is such a tiny group of people w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/tom-ford-1301_distance_this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepp_1602880.jpg"
---

#  This is something I realized after stepping away from…

![“This is something I realized after stepping away from women's fashion for the last five years. When you are inside, it is such a tiny group of people who think that this is the most important thing in the world. But when you get a little bit of distance, someone will say to you something like…” quote by Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/tom-ford-1301_distance_this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepp_1602880.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/tom-ford-1301_distance_this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepp_1602880.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/tom-ford-1301_distance_this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepp_1602880.jpg)

> “This is something I realized after stepping away from women's fashion for the last five years. When you are inside, it is such a tiny group of people who think that this is the most important thing in the world. But when you get a little bit of distance, someone will say to you something like, "Don't you think that shoe is blah?" And I will be like, "What shoe? I don't know what you're talking about." It is very, very inside.”

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Insider perspective can be narrow; stepping back reveals broader context and challenges assumptions.

**In simple terms:** Being too close to a field limits perspective.

Key Takeaway

Seek external viewpoints to broaden understanding.

Themes

fashion perspective self‑awareness

Mood

reflective critical creative

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- design reviews
- trend analysis
- cross‑industry workshops

Key Concepts

cognitive bias industry critique creative process

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you regularly gain outside perspectives?
- What habits help you question entrenched beliefs?

A Different Perspective

Isolation may reinforce echo chambers and blind spots.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Women'S Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-s-fashion/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Fashion is very quick. It's very disposable. It's immediately - it tells you exactly where we are in our culture, especially women's fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/fashion-is-very-quick-it-s-very-disposable-it-s-immediately-it-tells/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [I told myself that I would not come back to women's fashion until I felt I had something new to say. I feel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-told-myself-that-i-would-not-come-back-to-women-s-fashion-until-i/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [I am more into guys' fashion, but I'm inspired by women's fashion in a weird way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/i-am-more-into-guys-fashion-but-i-m-inspired-by-women-s-fashion-in-a/)

[Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/)

> [The computer industry is the only industry that is more fashion-driven than women's fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-computer-industry-is-the-only-industry-that-is-more-fashion-2/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Women's fashion is a subtle form of bondage. It's men's way of binding them. We put them in these tight, high-heeled shoes, we make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/women-s-fashion-is-a-subtle-form-of-bondage-it-s-men-s-way-of-binding/)

[David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/)

> [The computer industry is the only industry that is more fashion-driven than women's fashion. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I have no idea what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-ellison/the-computer-industry-is-the-only-industry-that-is-more-fashion/)

[Larry Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-ellison/)

> [Women's fashion is a euphemism for fashion created by men for women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/women-s-fashion-is-a-euphemism-for-fashion-created-by-men-for-women/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [I don't look so closely at women's fashion, but from the 20th century on, people have had the freedom to express themselves and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadao-ando/i-don-t-look-so-closely-at-women-s-fashion-but-from-the-20th-century/)

[Tadao Ando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadao-ando/)

> [What doesn't confuse me about what women wear? When it comes to women's fashion I'm so oblivious. I have no idea what's going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/what-doesn-t-confuse-me-about-what-women-wear-when-it-comes-to-women/)

[Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/)

> [I love Jessica Simpson's stuff, especially the shoes. I dance around my house in them all the time. I really like women's fashion. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-wentz/i-love-jessica-simpson-s-stuff-especially-the-shoes-i-dance-around-my/)

[Pete Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-wentz/)

> [Women's fashion is more interesting than men's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-rhodes/women-s-fashion-is-more-interesting-than-men-s/)

[Nick Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-rhodes/)

> [I love women's fashion, but women don't need me as much as men do. It's the men who have nothing to wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-cavalli/i-love-women-s-fashion-but-women-don-t-need-me-as-much-as-men-do-it-s/)

[Roberto Cavalli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-cavalli/)

> [When there's uncertainty they always think there's another shoe to fall. There is no other shoe to fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-lay/when-there-s-uncertainty-they-always-think-there-s-another-shoe-to/)

[Kenneth Lay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-lay/)

> [If we're having a glitzy over-the-top moment, fashion is very glitzy and over-the-top, you know, over-the-top. If we're having a moment where things are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/if-we-re-having-a-glitzy-over-the-top-moment-fashion-is-very-glitzy/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Im fly like I had me a shoe closet for diner no I'm not a dog bitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/im-fly-like-i-had-me-a-shoe-closet-for-diner-no-i-m-not-a-dog-bitch/)

[Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/)

## More by Tom Ford

> [Anyone with a long-term partner, anyone with a long-term lover, if that lover dies, you could easily see yourself in a situation where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/anyone-with-a-long-term-partner-anyone-with-a-long-term-lover-if-that/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [A lot of the things I did - it's not going to sound anything but egotistical - if I'm lucky and I did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/a-lot-of-the-things-i-did-it-s-not-going-to-sound-anything-but/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [I'm a very serious person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-m-a-very-serious-person/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Fashion is, after all, a form of escapism, and in fact people are buying more special things than ever, nowadays. They deny and deny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/fashion-is-after-all-a-form-of-escapism-and-in-fact-people-are-buying/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Perfection is almost an illness with me, but sometimes I have moments where everything is absolutely clear and you can feel, rather than think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/perfection-is-almost-an-illness-with-me-but-sometimes-i-have-moments/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [I went through some tough times because if you're used to having a voice in contemporary culture and all of sudden, you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-went-through-some-tough-times-because-if-you-re-used-to-having-a/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [British men are peacocks. You see a lot more style on the streets here than you see anywhere else, on every level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/british-men-are-peacocks-you-see-a-lot-more-style-on-the-streets-here/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [We do objectify women in our culture. We're starting to objectify men a little bit more. And there is nothing wrong with that. Objectify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/we-do-objectify-women-in-our-culture-we-re-starting-to-objectify-men/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Never, ever, ever wear anything you are uncomfortable in. Because that is what you'll project: 'I look like a fool.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/never-ever-ever-wear-anything-you-are-uncomfortable-in-because-that/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [ I think what's important for myself and anyone else who wants to create a film, or art, is \[to\] make sure that they have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/i-think-what-s-important-for-myself-and-anyone-else-who-wants-to/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [At home, off-duty, I wear T-shirts from Fruit of the Loom - but I have them tailored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/at-home-off-duty-i-wear-t-shirts-from-fruit-of-the-loom-but-i-have/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [A man should never wear shorts in the city. Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate. Shorts should only be worn on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/a-man-should-never-wear-shorts-in-the-city-flip-flops-and-shorts-in/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Want girls to let you put your fingers in certain places? Get a manicure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/want-girls-to-let-you-put-your-fingers-in-certain-places-get-a/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Banking types should take their cue from Gordon Gekko. Or pick the best-looking banker in their firm and copy him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/banking-types-should-take-their-cue-from-gordon-gekko-or-pick-the/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

> [Only hire people you want to have dinner with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/only-hire-people-you-want-to-have-dinner-with/)

[Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

[Explore all 260 Tom Ford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/)

## More Distance quotes

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/)

[Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/)

> [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/)

[Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/)

[Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/)

> [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/)

[Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/)

> [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/)

Frank H. T. Rhodes

> [To be a champion long-distance runner you have to run on the edge of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-seko/to-be-a-champion-long-distance-runner-you-have-to-run-on-the-edge-of/)

Toshihiko Seko

> [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Within walking distance of any spot on Earth there's probably more than enough mystery to investigate in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alix-kates-shulman/within-walking-distance-of-any-spot-on-earth-there-s-probably-more/)

[Alix Kates Shulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alix-kates-shulman/)

> [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/)

[Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/)

Browse all 3,296 Distance quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "This is something I realized after stepping away from women's fashion for the last five years. When you are inside, it is such a tiny group of people who think that this is the most important thing in the world. But when you get a little bit of distance, someone will say to you something like, \"Don't you think that shoe is blah?\" And I will be like, \"What shoe? I don't know what you're talking about.\" It is very, very inside.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Ford"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepping-away-from-women-s-fashion/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Distance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepping-away-from-women-s-fashion/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/tom-ford-1301_distance_this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepp_1602880.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/tom-ford-1301_distance_this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepp_1602880.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfe/tom-ford-1301_distance_this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepp_1602880.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“This is something I realized after stepping away from women's fashion for the last five years. When you are…” — Tom Ford",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Tom Ford",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "This is something I realized after...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepping-away-from-women-s-fashion/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/this-is-something-i-realized-after-stepping-away-from-women-s-fashion/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
