A ladies' hatter is called a milliner.
A mens' hatter also has an upscale name
classier than 'hatter' or 'hatmaker'.
It is not 'habidasher'.
Anybody have any idea?

(this sprung from a discussion of the names
of stores on the main drag of my hometown
back during the JFK era.)

Thank you in advance to anyone who comes up with the answer
or even takes the time to think about it.

A quick browse of Wiki and Meriam Webster only turned up hat-maker, hatter, haberdasher, and milliner.

Modiste ??

Rockeriste ??

Hat-boy?

♫ Cause I'm the hatman
Yeah, I'm the hatman ♪

Hatimateer.

Hatari!

Given the exclusions list, that would have been my guess, but it looks to be for women's hats AND dresses.

Hatographer.

The House of Nines Design sez

"'Milliners' make women's hats. Women's hats and the process of making them is called 'millinery',
and a hat shop that sells them is known as 'a millinery'. 'Hatters' make men's hats. The process of
making men's hats is 'hattery', and a men's hat shop is called 'a hattery'. Why the distinction? Until
the early 20th century, the two disciplines- making hats for women or for men- used totally different
techniques and materials, and many differences between them continue today.

And I just learned that Haberdasher looks like it comes from Icelandic word, haprtask, which means
peddler or peddler's sack. Apparently haprtask sold various buttons, needles, thread, notions, etc.
But now pretty much means to sell any type of clothing.

The term mercer for cloth merchants (from French mercier, "notions dealer") is now largely obsolete.
Mercers were formerly merchants or traders who dealt in cloth, typically fine cloth that was not produced
locally, such as silk.

Hmmm, and Mad as a Hatter comes from mercury poisoning. Apparently hatters were overly
exposed to mercury while creating felt and developed dementia.

Oh, how about "chapelliers"? Seems to be an earlier French name for hat maker.

Hat-miester?

Lord of the Hats?

Hatter-sama?




But, really, the correct word is "hatter," like it or not.

Hats-a-matter-U? Gotta no respect?

Paul Gambi.

No! I gotta-no-hat either!

As late as the 1800's, hatters were exposed to mercury (since it was used in the production of felt, which was used in the production of hats) and many of them developed symptoms of dementia from the mercury poisoning... hence the term, "Mad as a hatter."

I knew that. Yup.

I did too. Mostly because Beachy posted it two hours before Brotoro did.

Well. That's what I get for skimming.