Tom Ford Eyewear ad gets banned in Italy

It was just a matter of time, wasn't it?

Italy's advertising watchdog, the Institute for Advertising Self-Discipline (IAP), has banned Tom Ford Eyewear ads from national media. A close-up photo of a woman wearing the brand's sunglasses with a man's finger in her mouth was deemed by IAP to be "markedly vulgar" and, as such, it "transcends the limits of simple bad taste and offends the sensibility" of viewers. In addition, the committee believes the "scene evokes an offending and abusive act against women, which degrades the dignity of the person." IAP also said the sexual innuendo and provocative edge are part of a campaign based on these kinds of images, noting that the brand's Web site itself describes the spring-summer campaign photos as "sexually explicit." Vincenzo Guggino, general secretary at IAP, said the images were banned after publication last month in three magazines, including Italian Vogue. "Fashion companies very rarely present their ads for inspection before they appear in the media," said Guggino. "Our mission is to promote better and more acceptable communication." .

From: wwd.com

The website is indeed "sexually explicit", take the image below for example. Oh dear. That's a really close shave.