When it comes to high fashion, sex definitely sells. The fashion industry remains largely male-dominated, and the majority of ads in magazines and billboards reflect this demographic as fashion marketing is overrun with hypersexualized women. Many fashion designers use sex as a major aspect of their brand identity, but at a time where brainy style bloggers like Tavi Gevinson and Leandra Medine are gaining traction, a new definition of sexy is emerging in the fashion world.

While some celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus in Versace for the recent VMAs, sport red carpet looks that play into this sexualization, sometimes it is not the clothes themselves but the advertisements that give certain brands their risqué image.

Tom Ford is notorious for his overtly sexual ads that feature female models posing often nude or semi-nude in extremely compromising positions. In one example, a female model clad only in red lipstick and sunglasses gazes at the camera while a male model’s finger pulls her mouth open. An ad for a Tom Ford cologne — aptly named “Tom Ford: For Men” — features the naked torso of a female model with her hands cupped over her breasts. The product in question placed in between her cleavage and also in between her thighs. The retail chain American Apparel has caused quite a stir for their billboards and ads featuring their sheer bodysuit-clad models in erotic positions.

While sex continues to pervade the fashion industry, some brands have taken a departure from the conventions found in Tom Ford and Versace ads and feature a more nuanced approach. The French brand Céline, which epitomizes refined Parisian taste, made headlines last winter when it featured 80-year-old writer Joan Didion as the face of their campaign. Céline’s decision to feature Didion, who is better known for her brain than her bust, gave the brand a unique intellectual edge.

Rosie Assoulin also takes a subtle approach to femininity. Assoulin’s off-the-shoulder tops and evening gowns are ethereal and sensual rather than sexual. Assoulin also emphasizes comfort in her designs, and told ELLE Magazine that her goal is to “make a ball gown feel like a pair of sweatpants.”

Unlike the marketing team at Tom Ford, brands like Céline and Rosie Assoulin embrace women’s intellect and acknowledge their desire to be chic and comfortable and, yes, sexy.

Email Shoshana Edelman at [email protected].