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Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)
 12 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2015
Feb. 01, 2014
Feb. 02, 2013
Jan. 28, 2012
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Valuation allowance $ 10,563,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance $ 20,601,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance    
Tax benefits recognized as contributed capital (500,000)us-gaap_IncomeTaxEffectsAllocatedDirectlyToEquityEquityTransactions 8,700,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxEffectsAllocatedDirectlyToEquityEquityTransactions 14,100,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxEffectsAllocatedDirectlyToEquityEquityTransactions  
Net Operating Loss 9,179,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOperatingLossCarryforwards 4,226,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOperatingLossCarryforwards    
Net operating loss expiration year 2018      
Unrecognized tax benefits 12,609,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 14,601,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 17,250,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 31,578,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits
Unrecognized tax benefits that would affect effective income tax rate if recognized 9,100,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 9,700,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate    
Increased decreased in unrecognized tax benefits (2,000,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsPeriodIncreaseDecrease (2,600,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsPeriodIncreaseDecrease (14,300,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsPeriodIncreaseDecrease  
Reasonably possible amount of reduction in unrecognized tax benefit over the next twelve months 5,600,000us-gaap_SignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIsReasonablyPossibleAmountOfUnrecordedBenefit      
Accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits 1,600,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued 1,900,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued    
Provision for income taxes related to the reversal of accrued interest and penalties     4,800,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense  
Foreign tax credit carryovers 19,300,000aeo_DeferredTaxAssetsDeferredForeignTaxCredits 13,400,000aeo_DeferredTaxAssetsDeferredForeignTaxCredits    
Foreign tax credit carryovers expiration date 2019      
Deferred tax asset related to State income tax credit carryforwards 11,700,000aeo_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxCreditCarryforwardsState 10,700,000aeo_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxCreditCarryforwardsState    
Deferred tax asset related to State income tax credit minimum carryforwards years 10 years      
Deferred tax asset related to State income tax credit maximum carryforwards years 16 years      
Deferred tax asset related to State income tax credit carryforwards expiration period begins 2018      
State and Foreign Country Jurisdiction        
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Net Operating Loss 10,300,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOperatingLossCarryforwards
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= aeo_StateAndForeignCountryJurisdictionMember		      
Deferred Tax Asset Operating Loss Carryforwards Foreign        
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Valuation allowance 7,200,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance
/ us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceByDeferredTaxAssetAxis
= aeo_DeferredTaxAssetOperatingLossCarryforwardsForeignMember		      
Capital Loss Carryforwards        
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Valuation allowance   16,200,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= us-gaap_CapitalLossCarryforwardMember		    
Valuation allowance released $ 16,200,000aeo_ReleaseOfValuationAllowance
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= us-gaap_CapitalLossCarryforwardMember