So fashion devotees all are well aware of who makes “the” red-soled shoe…And Mr. Louboutin has been in the news lately for trying to own that very sole.

A Manhattan judge yesterday ruled against him saying, “Louboutin’s claim to ‘the color red’ is, without some limitation, overly broad and inconsistent with the scheme of trademark registration established by the Lanham Act.”

Mr. Louboutin was suing over four specific shoes in the 2011 YSL collection which all had a “copycat” red sole to his shoes, and the verdict was, that in the fashion industry, one color should not serve as a trademark.

To me, this was more than a step back for Mr. Louboutin. Not only did he fail to block YSL from copying the soles he is known for, but now other designers seem to have license to make their own red soled heels. Potentially even worse, this could mean that others trying to pass off their off-brand shoe as a Louboutin might grow in number. Counterfeit product has been a well-documented problem for luxury brands for years and although knockoff Louboutins already exist, (see this article just last month from the NY Post ) this certainly seems to add fuel to the red fire.

So it seems for now, the other shoe has dropped for Louboutin. But stay tuned…as his attorney Harley Lewin, “will evaluate all the alternatives available in the days to come…”