Business Operations Store Data (Details)	3 Months Ended
May 02, 2015
Schedule of Stores Supplied With Merchandise [Line Items]
Number of Reportable Segments	2us-gaap_NumberOfReportableSegments
Affiliated Business Group [Abstract]
Number of retailers operated as leased departments	4
Number of new leased departments added	3dsw_NumberOfNewLeasedDepartmentsAdded
Number of leased departments ceased	1dsw_NumberOfLeasedDepartmentsCeased
DSW Segment [Abstract]
Number of States in which Entity Operates	42
Number of Stores	449us-gaap_NumberOfStores
Number of new stores opened	18dsw_NumberOfNewStoresOpened
Stein Mart Stores [Member]
Affiliated Business Group [Abstract]
Number of stores supplied by the entity	269
Gordmans Stores [Member]
Affiliated Business Group [Abstract]
Number of stores supplied by the entity	99
Frugal Fannie's Stores [Member]
Affiliated Business Group [Abstract]
Number of stores supplied by the entity	1
Yellow Box [Member]
Affiliated Business Group [Abstract]
Number of stores supplied by the entity	4

Name:	dsw_AffiliatedBusinessGroupAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	dsw_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Represents the number of leased departments in which the company ceased operations during the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dsw_NumberOfLeasedDepartmentsCeased
Namespace Prefix:	dsw_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the number of new leased departments added during the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dsw_NumberOfNewLeasedDepartmentsAdded
Namespace Prefix:	dsw_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the number of new stores opened during the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dsw_NumberOfNewStoresOpened
Namespace Prefix:	dsw_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the number of retailers in which the company operated leased departments during the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dsw_NumberOfRetailersOperatedAsLeasedDepartments
Namespace Prefix:	dsw_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the number of stores where the company operated leased departments.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dsw_NumberOfStoresSuppliedByEntity
Namespace Prefix:	dsw_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	dsw_ScheduleOfStoresSuppliedWithMerchandiseLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	dsw_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	dsw_SegmentAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	dsw_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Number of segments reported by the entity. A reportable segment is a component of an entity for which there is an accounting requirement to report separate financial information on that component in the entity's financial statements.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfReportableSegments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The number of states the entity operates in as of the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfStatesInWhichEntityOperates
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the number of stores.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfStores
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=dsw_FrugalFanniesStoresMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=dsw_GordmansStoresMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=dsw_SteinMartStoresMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=dsw_YellowBoxMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: