milliner: [16] The Italian city of Milan was famous in medieval and Renaissance times for the fabrics, laces, etc that it manufactured; and a merchant who imported such ‘Milan ware’ became known as a Milaner. In due course the term became associated with ‘makers of female garments’, which would have incorporated such Italian haberdashery, and by the 19th century it had narrowed down specifically to ‘maker of women’s hats’.
