EXHIBIT 99.1


FINANCIAL CONTACT:         JAMES S. GULMI (615) 367-8325
GENESCO MEDIA CONTACT:     CLAIRE S. MCCALL (615) 367-8283


                         GENESCO TO MAKE PRESENTATION AT
                           WSA SHOE SHOW IN LAS VEGAS
       -- COMPANY REITERATES COMFORT WITH PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED GUIDANCE -

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 2, 2005 -- Genesco Inc. (NYSE: GCO) today announced
plans for members of its management to make a presentation on product trends in
its markets at the WSA Shoe Show at 7:35 a.m. (Pacific time) on Thursday, August
4, 2005. A live audio feed of the presentation will be accessible on the
Internet through the Company's website at www.genesco.com. The Company also said
it remains comfortable with previously announced earnings guidance for the
second quarter ended July 30, 2005, and for fiscal year ending January 28, 2006.

            This release contains forward-looking statements, including those
regarding the Company's earnings outlook and all other statements not addressing
solely historical facts or present conditions. Actual results could turn out
materially different from the expectations reflected in these statements. A
number of factors could cause differences. These include completion of the
Company's quarterly procedures relating to reporting results for the second
quarter of fiscal 2006, weakness in consumer demand for products sold by the
Company, fashion trends that affect the sales or product margins of the
Company's retail product offerings, changes in buying patterns by significant
wholesale customers, limitations in product supply or disruptions in
distribution, unfavorable trends in foreign exchange rates and other factors
affecting the cost of products, changes in business strategies by the Company's
competitors, the ability to open, staff and support additional retail stores on
schedule and at acceptable expense levels and to renew leases in existing stores
on schedule and at acceptable expense levels, variations from expected
pension-related charges caused by conditions in the financial markets, and the
outcome of litigation and environmental matters involving the Company.
Forward-looking statements reflect the expectations of the Company at the time
they are made. The Company disclaims any obligation to update such statements.




            Genesco Inc., a Nashville-based specialty retailer, sells footwear,
headwear and accessories in more than 1,600 retail stores in the United States
and Canada, principally under the names Journeys, Journeys Kidz, Johnston &
Murphy, Underground Station, Hatworld, Lids, Hat Zone, Cap Factory, Head
Quarters and Cap Connection, and on internet websites www.journeys.com,
www.journeyskidz.com, www.undergroundstation.com, www.johnstonmurphy.com,
www.lids.com, www.hatworld.com, and www.lidscyo.com. The Company also sells
footwear at wholesale under its Johnston & Murphy brand and under the licensed
Dockers brand. Additional information on Genesco and its operating divisions may
be accessed at its website www.genesco.com.