Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
Aug. 01, 2015	Aug. 02, 2014	Aug. 01, 2015	Aug. 02, 2014
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Pension liability adjustment, tax amount	$ 0.5	$ 0.3	$ 1.0	$ 0.7
Postretirement liability adjustment, tax benefit	$ 0.0	$ 0.0	$ 0.3	$ 0.0

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Pension Liability Adjustment, Tax Amount

No definition available.

Name:	gco_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossPensionLiabilityAdjustmentTaxAmount
Namespace Prefix:	gco_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration