Feist vs. Fanzine vs. Foryou: Which Anne et Valentin Formacolor Frame?
In short: Feist (42-22-145, cat-eye), Fanzine (42-24-145, round) and Foryou (45-23-145, hexagon) are the three Anne et Valentin Formacolor frames on our shelf in Roswell, and all three are $545. Feist is the narrowest, Fanzine has the widest bridge of anything we carry, Foryou is the largest and the most gender-neutral.
These are the three Formacolor frames you can actually put on your face in Roswell today, and they could hardly be more different from one another: a cat-eye, a round and a hexagon.
What they share is construction. Formacolor is Anne et Valentin's combination line, where a stainless steel rim is paired with acetate — "metal, precise and rigorous, draws the line. Acetate, more sensory, softens the angles." That is why all three can be small without being chunky, and it is why all three cost more than the all-acetate Alpha frames.
The three at a glance
| Feist | Fanzine | Foryou | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best-seller rank | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| Size | 42-22-145 | 42-24-145 | 45-23-145 |
| Front width (approx.) | ~106 mm | ~108 mm | ~113 mm |
| Shape | Cat-eye | Round | Hexagon |
| Material | Steel & acetate | Steel & acetate | Steel & acetate |
| Catalogued as | Women's | Unisex | Unisex |
| Colorways | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Price | $545 | $545 | $545 |
| In stock now | 2 colorways | 1 colorway | 1 colorway |
Size: two small, one medium
Feist and Fanzine share the smallest caliber in our entire Anne et Valentin range, 42 mm. Foryou steps up to 45 mm.
But caliber is only half of it. The bridges are 22 mm, 24 mm and 23 mm respectively, which reshuffles things: Feist finishes at roughly 106 mm across the front, Fanzine at 108 mm, Foryou at 113 mm. So the order by actual footprint is Feist, then Fanzine, then a clear gap, then Foryou.
The Fanzine deserves a note here because its numbers are genuinely unusual. A 42 mm lens with a 24 mm bridge means small lenses set wide apart — the widest bridge of any Anne et Valentin frame we carry. That is a specific and under-served fit: a small face with a broad or high nose bridge. If small frames have always pinched you, that combination is why Fanzine might work where the others do not.
All three have 145 mm temples, the longest in our Anne et Valentin range. A long temple on a small front keeps the frame stable without making it wider.
Shape: pick your geometry
Feist — the cat-eye. "A cat-eye full of audacity and optimism created for the littlest faces. With a wink to retro, Feist looks firmly futurist, always surprising." The corner lift is unambiguous, which is exactly what makes a small frame register on a face instead of disappearing. All three colorways pair a colour against a brushed brown — a matte, faintly textured acetate finish that keeps the two-tone from reading as loud.
Fanzine — the round. "A symbiotic frame that takes to your face as though they were always there. Balanced finesse. For cheerful, yet calm personalities." A round shape in a fine steel rim is about as quiet as an interesting frame gets. This is the one to choose if you want the frame to be a detail rather than a feature.
Foryou — the hexagon. "Emphatic hexagon with an arched bridge. Inner line that softens the expression. Contrast and warmth guaranteed." This is the loudest outline of the three and the most obviously designed. The arched bridge is the counterweight that keeps the geometry wearable — a straight bridge under an angular front would tip it into architecture.
Price: all three are the same
Feist, Fanzine and Foryou are all $545. Formacolor sits above the $385 all-acetate Alpha line because of the two-material construction, but inside the line there is no price ladder — none of these three is a step up or a saving on the others.
That makes this an unusually clean decision. With construction and price both held constant, nothing is left to weigh except size, shape and colour. Feist is still the hardest of the three to build — the smallest front in the range with the longest temples, in a cat-eye, executed in a steel section fine enough that the shape still reads as delicate — but that engineering does not cost you extra.
So which one?
Choose Feist if your face is genuinely small and you want the frame to have some attitude. It is the narrowest front we carry from the house and the only one Anne et Valentin explicitly designed for "the littlest faces." It also has the best odds of being tried on today, with two of three colorways in the shop.
Choose Fanzine if you have a small face with a wide or high nose bridge, or if you want a quiet frame. That 24 mm bridge is the reason to pick it and the reason it fits people the other two do not.
Choose Foryou if 42 mm is too small for you, if you want the most gender-neutral of the three, or if you actively want the geometry to show. At 45 mm it is the only one here that suits a medium face.
Where to go next
Each has its own guide: Feist, Fanzine and Foryou. The line as a whole — including the nine-colorway Fossette and Frehel — is covered in the Formacolor collection guide, and the full dealer ranking is in the Anne et Valentin best-sellers guide.
Everything is in the Anne et Valentin collection, along with the genuine Anne et Valentin case.
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 Feist and Fanzine?
Shape and bridge. Feist is a cat-eye, Fanzine is a round — Anne et Valentin call the Feist "a cat-eye full of audacity and optimism created for the littlest faces" and the Fanzine "a symbiotic frame that takes to your face as though they were always there." Both have a 42 mm caliber and 145 mm temples, but the Feist’s bridge is 22 mm against the Fanzine’s 24 mm, making the Feist the narrower frame overall. Both are $545.
Is Foryou bigger than Feist?
Yes. Foryou is 45-23-145 and Feist is 42-22-145, so Foryou has three more millimetres of lens and one more of bridge on the same temple length. Across the front that is roughly 113 mm for the Foryou against 106 mm for the Feist — Foryou is the largest of the three Formacolor frames we carry and Feist the smallest.
Which Formacolor frame is the most unisex?
Foryou, on both the catalogue data and the shape. Our catalogue lists Foryou and Fanzine as unisex and Feist as a women’s frame, and of the two unisex options the Foryou’s hexagon is the least gendered outline — angular geometry reads neutral in a way that a cat-eye does not. Anne et Valentin do not gender the Formacolor concept itself in their own line description.
Do Feist, Fanzine and Foryou cost the same?
Yes. All three are $545 at Gazal Eyecare. Feist is the smallest and most finely engineered of the three, but that does not carry a premium — every Formacolor frame we carry sits at the same price, above the $385 all-acetate Alpha line.
Which of Feist, Fanzine and Foryou is in stock?
All three have at least one colorway on the shelf at Gazal Eyecare. Feist has two of three: Blue/Brushed Brown (U222) and Electric Blue/Tortoise (8A11). Fanzine has Tortoise and Purple (U138). Foryou has Brown & Red (25B22). Each is a single piece, and the remaining colorways of all three are available to special-order.