Nicolas Ghesquière isn’t one to shy away from a boundary. So when word broke that the Balenciaga creative director had personally chosen teen goddess Kristen Stewart as the face of the brand’s newest fragrance, Florabotanica, one couldn’t help but feel hesitant about the pairing. After all, she’s neither French, like the brand’s other fragrance face, Charlotte Gainsbourg, nor possessed of her seductive expressiveness.

But worry not, for Ghesquière has outfitted her in two of his greatest hits for the colorfully illustrated ad: the sculptural floral dresses from spring ’08 and the buckle boots from fall ’11. In the campaign, shot by Steven Meisel, Stewart stands tomboyish and stone-faced—no surprise there—next to a life-size bottle of the bloom-intensive scent, with its intoxicating notes of vetiver, amber, hybrid rose, carnation, and mint accord. No writhing in ecstasy between satin sheets—and maybe that’s the highest concept of all.

In select stores worldwide in September