Anne & Valentin at Ekla: a guide to the graphic frames from the Toulouse-based house
Anne & Valentin is a house founded in Toulouse in the 1980s by Anne-ValΓ©rie and Valentin Casanova. Their signature: handcrafted acetate frames, graphic shapes, and color combinations that you won't find in major chain stores. Two collections per year, each built around a distinct visual coherence.
At Ekla, we distribute Anne & Valentin in our two boutiques in the 10th and 11th arrondissements. It's the brand we bring out most often when someone is looking for designer, French eyewear that truly goes off the beaten path. Neither vintage and thick like Lesca, nor Scandinavian minimalist like Lindberg.
If you are looking for a frame that says something about you, this article covers what we have in store.
Why Anne & Valentin is a house apart
Anne & Valentin has always had an editorial approach to eyewear. Each collection tells a story: a theme, a palette, a take on color. It is not just a catalog of shapes. It is a line.
The acetate comes from artisanal Italian suppliers. Each block of material is selected for its veins, its transparencies, and its reflections under the light. It doesn't look like mass-produced acetate. You can see it with your own eyes the moment you pick up a frame in the shop.
What concretely distinguishes the house: the work with two-tone effects. A front in one color, an interior in another, temples that change hue halfway through. These details aren't visible on website photos. They appear when you try on the frame in the boutique, in front of a mirror.
An opinion we stand by: Anne & Valentin is for people who have an active relationship with their appearance. Not for those looking to go unnoticed. For those who know that a pair of glasses can be part of a style, and not just a way to correct their vision.
The types of Anne & Valentin frames we have in the boutique
Here is how what we regularly have in stock in our two boutiques is organized.
Assertive graphic shapes
Shape: geometric, sharp angles, thick acetate. Audience: all face types that embrace visual impact. Colors: often two-tone combinations, lacquered or textured, rarely neutral.
These are the models that are immediately recognized as "Anne & Valentin." The angles are drawn with a precision that betrays the intention. The colors don't seek to please everyone: that is intentional.
Colorful rounds and pantos
Shape: round or panto, with colors that a Lesca or a Moscot wouldn't offer in the same combinations. Audience: angular or square faces, where the shape softens the features and the color asserts personality. Colors: brick, petrol green, honey, midnight blue, unexpected combinations.
This is often the style we pull out first when someone is looking for something different but wearable. The shape remains accessible; it's the color that makes all the difference. At our shop, we often have people try these on next to a Lesca Corbs to show what a difference it makes.
Semi-rimless and lightweight structures
Shape: semi-rimless or wire, a more open structure than solid acetate. Audience: varied. This is the most discreet Anne & Valentin range, for those who love the spirit of the house but prefer less presence on the face. The colors remain elaborate, even on thin structures.
Oversized models
Shape: large size, assertive proportions. Audience: large faces or people who embrace voluminous frames. Colors: often in the most characteristic shades of the current collection.
At Ekla, we suggest these to clients who have already looked at Lesca Gaston or Moscot Miltzen and who are looking for something in the same register of strong presence, but with a more contemporary and colorful aesthetic.
How to choose an Anne & Valentin? The role of color visagism
With Anne & Valentin, visagism is not limited to the shape of the face. Color changes everything.
A rectangular model in brick terracotta does not have the same effect on the complexion as an identical model in navy blue. On a round face, the geometric structure helps to balance the proportions. On a warm complexion, honey, brick, and khaki green tones enhance brightness. On a cool complexion, muted blues, greys, or burgundies work better.
At Ekla, we take the time to test several colors of the same model side by side. That's often where the decision is made: two identical models, two different colors, and one of them completely changes the face.
Here are the combinations we see working best in the boutique:
- Round face: rectangular or geometric shapes (structure without weighing down)
- Square or angular face: rounds or pantos (soften the features)
- Oval face: all shapes work, complete freedom with colors
- Long face: large, slightly oversized models that visually widen
- Warm complexion: honey, brick, khaki green, brown tortoiseshell
- Cool complexion: midnight blue, grey, burgundy, pure black
These rules are starting points. Anne & Valentin also works by instinct: if you like what you see in the mirror immediately, it's often a good sign.
Choose Anne & Valentin at Ekla if you are looking for:
- A French designer frame: an independent Toulouse-based house, two collections per year with an editorial take on color and shape;
- A colorful acetate you won't see elsewhere: Anne & Valentin's hue combinations are unique to the house and do not resemble mass-market chains;
- Glasses designed as a style accessory, not as an object you wear without thinking.
Anne & Valentin is probably not for you if:
- You are looking for a discreet frame that disappears on your face: look instead at Lindberg or the metal structures in our selection.
Practical information
π Ekla Paris 10, 84 rue d'Hauteville, 75010 Paris. Tel: 01 42 28 90 89
π Ekla Paris 11, 147 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75011 Paris. Tel: 01 56 61 00 00
π Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm
π
Visagism consultation by appointment or by walking in
Frequently asked questions
Where to buy Anne & Valentin glasses in Paris?
Anne & Valentin is distributed in Paris at Ekla (10th and 11th districts) and at a few select designer opticians. At Ekla, universal third-party payment applies: no out-of-pocket expenses with your health insurance.
What is the Anne & Valentin signature?
Graphic shapes and assertive colors. Anne & Valentin crafts color combinations in artisanal acetate that you won't find in major chain stores: interior/exterior two-tones, bright lacquers, muted contrasts. The house releases two collections per year, each with its own visual coherence.
Are Anne & Valentin glasses suitable for round faces?
Yes, with the right shapes. We recommend rectangular or geometric Anne & Valentin models for round faces: they structure the features without overwhelming them. The choice of color also plays a big role. We handle the fitting in the boutique to find the right combination.
What is the difference between Anne & Valentin and Lesca?
Both are independent French acetate houses. The difference: Lesca plays in the vintage register and stays true to 1950s shapes. Anne & Valentin plays in the creative and graphic register: contemporary shapes, assertive colors, and a clear editorial vision collection after collection. In the shop, we always have you try them side by side if you are hesitant.