Anne et Valentin Formacolor: Stainless Steel Meets Acetate (Fanzine, Feist, Foryou, Fossette, Frehel)
In short: Formacolor is Anne et Valentin’s steel-and-acetate line — seventeen models, all named with an F, all made in France. Gazal Eyecare carries five: Fanzine, Feist, Foryou, Fossette and Frehel, $545 to $615. All five sit on Anne et Valentin’s own best-seller ranking.
"Can metal feel warm?"
That is the question Anne et Valentin open the Formacolor line with, and it is a better introduction than any spec sheet. Formacolor is their combination concept: stainless steel and acetate in the same frame, each doing the job the other cannot.
In the house's words: "At Anne & Valentin, design is a matter of dialogue. The FORMACOLOR concept explores the conversation between metal and acetate. Metal, precise and rigorous, draws the line. Acetate, more sensory, softens the angles. Between the two materials, color circulates freely, sometimes gently, sometimes with energy."
Five of the eleven frames on Anne et Valentin's own dealer best-seller ranking come from this line. We carry all five.
What the two materials each contribute
This is not a decorative pairing. It is a division of labour with real consequences for how the frame looks and wears.
Steel draws the line. Stainless steel stays rigid in a very fine section. An acetate rim needs bulk to hold its shape, so an all-acetate frame at a small size ends up chunky. A steel rim can be a fraction of that thickness, which is how the Formacolor frames stay delicate at 42 mm — a size the all-acetate Alpha line does not even reach.
Acetate softens the angles. Acetate carries colour through its full thickness, feels warm against the skin, and can be heat-formed. So it goes where the frame meets you and where the colour needs depth. On the Feist, every colorway pairs a colour against a brushed brown — that brown is the acetate half of the conversation.
One practical note that follows from all this: a Formacolor frame is adjusted in two different ways. Steel bends cold; acetate needs heat. It is a reason to have these fitted by someone who knows which is which.
The seventeen models — and the F
The current Formacolor line runs to seventeen models: Fabella, Fandango, Fanely, Fany, Fanzine, Federica, Feist, Flamingo, Fondamentale, Foryou, Fossette, Foster, Foxy, France, Frehel, Friselis and Frivole.
Every one starts with F, the same way every Alpha model starts with A and every Metro model with B. Anne et Valentin name by line, so the model name tells you the construction before you have looked at the frame.
The five we carry
| Model | Size | Shape, in Anne et Valentin's words | Colorways | Price | In stock? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fanzine | 42-24-145 | "A symbiotic frame that takes to your face as though they were always there." | 3 | $545 | Yes — 1 |
| Feist | 42-22-145 | "A cat-eye full of audacity and optimism created for the littlest faces." | 3 | $615 | Yes — 2 |
| Foryou | 45-23-145 | "Emphatic hexagon with an arched bridge." | 4 | $545 | Yes — 1 |
| Fossette | 46-22-145 | "A soft and penetrating cat-eye that confers almond eyes upon its wearer." | 9 | $545 | Special order |
| Frehel | 42-23-145 | "A petite, sharply geometric pantos. Straight trapezoidal bridge." | 9 | $545 | Special order |
Reading the sizes
Every Formacolor frame we carry has 145 mm temples — the longest in our Anne et Valentin range — on calibers of 42 to 46 mm, which are the smallest. That is a deliberate combination: a long temple stabilises a small front without widening it.
Three of the five are 42 mm, which is the floor of our entire Anne et Valentin range. What separates them is the bridge. Feist at 22 mm gives a front of roughly 106 mm; Frehel at 23 mm about 107 mm; Fanzine at 24 mm about 108 mm. Same lens size, three different fits — and that is exactly the kind of distinction that a try-on settles in thirty seconds and a website cannot.
All five appear in the size context of our small-faces guide alongside the smallest Alpha acetates.
Three shapes, side by side
Of the five, three are in the shop right now and they are as different from each other as the line allows: a round, a cat-eye and a hexagon.
We put those three head to head in Feist vs. Fanzine vs. Foryou.
The two deep-colour models
Fossette and Frehel are both special order at the moment, and both carry nine colorways — three times the range of the Fanzine or the Feist. Fossette is a 46 mm cat-eye, softer than the Feist and a size up. Frehel is a 42 mm geometric pantos, the sharpest-edged shape in the line we carry. Both are $545 and both are photographed in full on their product pages.
Formacolor or Alpha?
- Formacolor — steel plus acetate, $545–$615, the finest line weight, gets down to 42 mm, contrast between materials is the point.
- Alpha — all acetate, $385, warmer in the hand, starts at 45 mm, colour is the point.
Everything is in the Anne et Valentin collection. If you are near Roswell, the Fanzine, Feist and Foryou are on the shelf and worth thirty seconds each on your own face — most of them are single pieces.
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 Anne et Valentin Formacolor?
Formacolor is Anne et Valentin’s combination line, filed under "Combo" in their catalogue, where a stainless steel rim is paired with acetate. The house introduces it with a question — "Can metal feel warm?" — and answers it this way: "Metal, precise and rigorous, draws the line. Acetate, more sensory, softens the angles. Between the two materials, color circulates freely." There are seventeen Formacolor models, all produced in France, and every model name begins with F.
How much do Formacolor frames cost?
At Gazal Eyecare, Fanzine, Foryou, Fossette and Frehel are each $545, and the Feist is $615. That is above the $385 of the all-acetate Alpha line, and the reason is construction rather than prestige — a two-material frame takes more work to build.
Which Formacolor frames does Gazal Eyecare carry?
Five of the seventeen: Fanzine (42-24-145), Feist (42-22-145), Foryou (45-23-145), Fossette (46-22-145) and Frehel (42-23-145). All five appear on Anne et Valentin’s own dealer best-seller ranking.
Are Formacolor frames unisex?
Anne et Valentin do not gender the Formacolor concept itself — their line description talks about "lovers of contemporary design" and "curious, attentive souls," not about men or women. In our own catalogue, Fanzine and Foryou are listed as unisex and Feist as a women’s frame, which reflects how each model was designed and marketed rather than a rule. Fit and proportion matter far more than the label.
Can Formacolor frames be adjusted?
Yes, but they are adjusted differently from an all-acetate frame, and that is worth knowing. The stainless steel sections are bent cold; the acetate sections need heat first. Doing one when you should be doing the other is how frames get damaged, which is a genuine argument for having a Formacolor frame fitted and adjusted in person rather than by post. We do that at our Roswell shop.