The ad shows 24-year old model Carmen Kass, who is pulling at her knickers to reveal the letter G shaved into her pubic hair, while a male model is kneeling down beside her in a provocative position.
The picture was taken by celebrity photographer Mario Testino in collaboration with Gucci creative director Tom Ford and was unofficially dubbed "pubic enemy".
The ad provoked outrage among consumer groups such as the Family Education Trust and Mediawatch UK, and the Daily Mail dedicated a full-page article to the ad soon after it appeared in the magazine.
However, the Advertising Standards Authority received only 16 complaints from members of the public. This pales into insignificance when compared with another Ford idea -- the Yves St Laurent ad featuring a reclining Sophie Dahl wearing nothing but a choker and a pair of stillettoes. This ad provoked 730 complaints to the watchdog.
Complainants about the Gucci ad were concerned that it was offensive and sexually suggestive. One complained that it was unsuitable to be seen by children.
The advertiser explained that the idea for the image had been a collaboration between Testino, "one of the world's leading fashion photographers", and Tom Ford, Gucci's creative director.
They defended the ad as "intended as an ironic pun for a sexy brand in a logo-led age". Gucci said the ad addresses the changing role of men and women and that "provocativeness is part of the brand's strategy".
The advertiser also pointed out that the ad had been placed in four "avant garde" fashion magazines targeting modern fashion-conscious and sophisticated adults and that it had not been meant for children's eyes.
The ASA decided that the ad had been carefully targeted and that its sexual nature had not been meant to offend Vogue's fashion-conscious readership. It said it considered the image was intimate rather than aggressive and that, although it was likely to be considered tasteless by some readers, it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.
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