Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 28, 2012	Mar. 09, 2012	Jul. 30, 2011
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jan. 28, 2011
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	LTD
Entity Registrant Name	Limited Brands Inc
Entity Central Index Key	0000701985
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--01-28
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		319,450,755
Entity Public Float			$ 9,220,553,578
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No