Anne et Valentin Fanzine: The 42 mm Stainless-and-Acetate Round, Colorways and Fit
In short: The Anne et Valentin Fanzine is a Formacolor frame — stainless steel and acetate together — at 42-24-145, $545, made in France. Tortoise and Purple (U138) is in stock at Gazal Eyecare; Tortoise and Green (25B16) and Tortoise and Blue (U187) are available to special-order.
Most of the Anne et Valentin frames people know are cut from a single sheet of acetate. The Fanzine is not, and that is the whole point of it.
It belongs to the house's Formacolor line, which Anne et Valentin introduce with a question: "Can metal feel warm?" Their answer is a construction method rather than a finish. "Metal, precise and rigorous, draws the line. Acetate, more sensory, softens the angles. Between the two materials, color circulates freely."
On the Fanzine specifically, they write: "A symbiotic frame that takes to your face as though they were always there. Balanced finesse. For cheerful, yet calm personalities. Kindness is its middle name."
What the combination actually buys you
Two materials in one frame is not a styling trick. It is a way of getting properties that neither material has on its own.
Stainless steel holds a thin, precise line. A rim drawn in steel can be far narrower than the same rim cut from acetate, because acetate needs bulk to stay rigid. That is how a 42 mm round can look delicate rather than stubby.
Acetate does the opposite job. It carries colour through its full thickness, it is warm against the skin, and it can be heat-adjusted. Putting it where the frame meets the face — and where the colour needs depth — is a deliberate division of labour.
The practical consequence for you: a Formacolor frame is adjusted differently from an all-acetate one, because the steel sections bend cold and the acetate sections need heat. That is an in-person job, which is one reason we would rather fit these than ship them blind.
The numbers
42-24-145. A 42 mm caliber, a 24 mm bridge, 145 mm temples, stainless steel and acetate, produced in France.
Those numbers are unusual and worth reading carefully. 42 mm is the smallest eye size in our Anne et Valentin range — shared only with the Feist and the Frehel. But 24 mm is the widest bridge of anything we carry from the house. Add it up and the front measures roughly 108 mm, so the Fanzine is not a small frame overall; it is a frame with small lenses set wide apart.
That is a specific fit, not a compromise. If you have a small face with a broad or high nose bridge — a combination that is badly served by most small frames — this is the geometry you have been looking for.
The three colorways
| Colorway | Color code | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Tortoise and Purple | U138 | In stock — 1 piece |
| Tortoise and Green | 25B16 | Special order |
| Tortoise and Blue | U187 | Special order |
Tortoise and Purple (U138) is the one on the shelf. The tortoise sits in the acetate and the purple plays against the steel, which is exactly the contrast the Formacolor concept is built around.
Tortoise and Green (25B16) and Tortoise and Blue (U187) are both special orders. Same architecture, different second colour — and on a frame where the colour is carried in a comparatively small amount of acetate, changing it changes the whole character more than you would expect.
Where it sits
Fanzine is number four on Anne et Valentin's own dealer best-seller ranking — the highest-placed Formacolor model, and the highest-placed non-acetate frame on the list. The full ranking is in our Anne et Valentin best-sellers guide.
Within the Formacolor frames we stock it is the round one, against the Feist's cat-eye and the Foryou's hexagon. We put all three side by side in Feist vs. Fanzine vs. Foryou. Because of its 42 mm caliber it also features in our guide to Anne et Valentin frames for small faces, and the line as a whole is covered in the Formacolor collection guide.
Price and availability
The Fanzine is $545. One colorway is on the shelf as a single piece; the other two are orderable.
All three are on the Fanzine product page, and the rest of the house is in the Anne et Valentin collection.
More on Anne et Valentin
- The Anne et Valentin Design Story: Why French Frames From Toulouse Look Like Nothing Else
- Anne et Valentin Collections & Frames: How to Choose Your Pair
- Anne et Valentin: Acetate vs. Metal Frames — How to Choose Between the Two
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Anne et Valentin Fanzine made of?
Stainless steel and acetate. It belongs to Anne et Valentin’s Formacolor line, which the house describes as a "conversation between metal and acetate" — metal drawing the line, acetate softening the angles. The frame is produced in France.
What are the Fanzine measurements?
Anne et Valentin publish the Fanzine as 42-24-145: a 42 mm caliber, a 24 mm bridge and 145 mm temples. At 42 mm it shares the smallest eye size in our Anne et Valentin range, and its 24 mm bridge is the widest of any frame we carry from the house.
Which Fanzine colorways are in stock?
One of the three. Tortoise and Purple (color code U138) is in stock at Gazal Eyecare, one piece. Tortoise and Green (25B16) and Tortoise and Blue (U187) are available to special-order.
Does Fanzine fit a narrow face?
It depends which kind of narrow. The 42 mm caliber is small, but the 24 mm bridge is wide — so the total front comes to about 108 mm, and a lot of that width is in the middle rather than in the lenses. That combination suits a face that is small overall but not pinched across the nose. If your nose bridge is genuinely narrow, the Feist at 42-22-145 or the Angie at 45-19-141 are the closer fits, and it is worth trying all three.
How much is the Anne et Valentin Fanzine?
The Anne et Valentin Fanzine is $545 at Gazal Eyecare.