Alma 2 vs. Albertine vs. Angie: Three Small Anne et Valentin Frames Compared
In short: Angie (45-19-141), Albertine (45-20-142) and Alma 2 (47-21-141) are Anne et Valentin’s top three best sellers, all Alpha acetate, all $385. Angie and Albertine are near-identical in footprint; Alma 2 is meaningfully larger. Albertine is the quietest shape, Alma 2 the most declared.
Anne et Valentin's own dealer best-seller ranking puts these three at numbers one, two and three across the entire collection: Angie, Alma 2, Albertine. They are all from the same line, all the same price, and all small. Which makes them the most common decision anyone faces when buying Anne et Valentin — and the hardest, because price cannot break the tie.
The three at a glance
| Angie | Alma 2 | Albertine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best-seller rank | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Size | 45-19-141 | 47-21-141 | 45-20-142 |
| Front width (approx.) | ~109 mm | ~115 mm | ~110 mm |
| Shape | Butterfly, subtle lift | Cat-eye | Pantos, keyhole bridge |
| Material | Acetate | Acetate | Acetate |
| Colorways | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Price | $385 | $385 | $385 |
| In stock now | 1 colorway | Special order | 2 colorways |
All three are Alpha frames: cut entirely from acetate, produced in France, named with an A, and priced flat at $385.
Size: the bridge is the tiebreaker
Angie and Albertine share a 45 mm caliber. Alma 2 is 47 mm. On lens size alone that would be the whole story, but it is not.
The bridges run 19 mm (Angie), 20 mm (Albertine) and 21 mm (Alma 2) — and on frames this small, a millimetre of bridge is more noticeable than a millimetre of lens, because the bridge is what decides where the frame sits on your nose and whether it slides.
Put together: Angie is the narrowest frame here at roughly 109 mm across the front, Albertine is barely wider at ~110 mm, and Alma 2 jumps to ~115 mm. So the real split is not three-way. It is Angie and Albertine, which are near-identical in footprint, versus Alma 2, which is meaningfully larger.
If your problem is that frames sit too wide on your face, Angie and Albertine are the two to try, and the choice between them is entirely about shape. If small frames have been pinching or leaving marks, Alma 2's extra bridge width is what you want.
Shape: how loud do you want to be?
Anne et Valentin's own language separates these three cleanly, and it is worth quoting because the distinctions are real.
Albertine is "the pantos frame that flutters without taking off. Fluid curves, aerial lines. Librarian chic, with a touch of retro. Just a touch. A whisper. A hint." A pantos is round-ish with a slightly flattened top; there is no corner lift at all. This is the quietest of the three, and the one that reads as unisex — our catalogue lists it that way. Its signature detail is the keyhole bridge, which puts a small vertical notch at the centre of the frame instead of a smooth arch.
Angie is "a small feline butterfly. Subtle lifting effect… The bridge takes flight." That is the middle position: there is an upward move at the outer corner, but the house is careful to call it subtle. In person it reads as a softened butterfly rather than a cat-eye proper.
Alma 2 is "a sparkling cat-eye… more subtle than bold, sweet but irresistible." Note that they call it a cat-eye without hedging — the upsweep is the shape here, not an accent on it. It is the most declared of the three.
Colour: Albertine has the deepest bench
Three colorways against two and two — and, more to the point, two of Albertine's three are physically on our shelf. Tortoise and Pink (21A33) and Purple (25A30) are both here, one piece each; Brushed Brown (0930) is a special order.
Angie has Tortoise (9A22) in stock and Purple and Blue (26A46) to order. Alma 2's Tortoise and Blue (1725A) and Purple (26A47) are both special orders at the moment.
One thing worth knowing before you settle: Anne et Valentin's colour codes identify the acetate laminate rather than the model, and the same sheets get cut into different Alpha shapes. 21A33 appears on the Angie, the Albertine and the Ayo alike. So if the colour is right and the shape is not, ask — the same laminate may exist on the frame that fits you.
So which one?
Choose Albertine if you want the frame that does not announce itself, if a keyhole bridge suits your nose better than a saddle, or if you want to compare two colorways on your own face today. It is also the safest choice if you are not sure you want a lifted shape at all.
Choose Angie if your face is genuinely narrow across the nose — the 19 mm bridge is the narrowest of the three and the narrowest in our whole Anne et Valentin range — and you want a little lift without a full cat-eye.
Choose Alma 2 if you want the cat-eye shape properly, or if the other two have felt tight. The extra 2 mm of bridge and 2 mm of lens make it the roomiest of the three while still sitting in small-frame territory.
Where to go next
All three are covered in depth in their own guides: Angie, Alma 2 and Albertine. For the wider size context see our guide to Anne et Valentin frames for small faces, which sets these three against the 42 mm Formacolor frames. For the rest of the line, see the Alpha collection guide, and for the full ranking, the Anne et Valentin best-sellers guide.
Everything 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 difference between Anne et Valentin Alma 2 and Albertine?
Shape, mainly. Alma 2 is a cat-eye at 47-21-141 — Anne et Valentin call it "a sparkling cat-eye," so the upward sweep at the outer corner is the design. Albertine is a pantos at 45-20-142, a rounded shape with a flattened top line, and its defining feature is a keyhole bridge rather than a corner lift. Albertine is two millimetres smaller in the eye and one millimetre narrower in the bridge. Both are $385.
Is Angie bigger than Alma 2?
No, Angie is the smaller of the two. Angie is 45-19-141 and Alma 2 is 47-21-141, so Alma 2 has two more millimetres of lens and two more of bridge on the same 141 mm temple. Across the front that is about 109 mm for the Angie against about 115 mm for the Alma 2 — a real difference, not a rounding error.
Which of Alma 2, Albertine and Angie is the most subtle?
Albertine. Anne et Valentin describe it as a pantos "that flutters without taking off" with "librarian chic, with a touch of retro. Just a touch. A whisper. A hint." A rounded shape with no corner lift is inherently quieter than a cat-eye, and the keyhole bridge is a detail you notice second rather than first. Angie sits in the middle with what the house calls a "subtle lifting effect," and Alma 2 is the most declared of the three.
Do Alma 2, Albertine and Angie cost the same?
Yes. All three are $385 at Gazal Eyecare, in every colorway, because all three belong to Anne et Valentin’s all-acetate Alpha line and the line is priced flat. Choosing between them is purely a question of shape and fit.
Can I try Alma 2, Albertine and Angie on in Roswell?
Two of the three, today. Albertine is in stock in Tortoise and Pink and in Purple, and Angie is in stock in Tortoise — one piece each. Alma 2 is currently special order in both of its colorways. Stock on single pieces changes, so it is worth calling ahead if you are making a trip for a specific frame.