Document and Entity Information Document (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Feb. 02, 2013	Mar. 15, 2013	Jul. 28, 2012
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Feb. 02, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	LTD
Entity Registrant Name	Limited Brands Inc
Entity Central Index Key	0000701985
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--02-02
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		288,193,641
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 11,340,755,842