Barbie Style 248 and the Clothing

Barbie Style 248 uses a new, currently unnamed head sculpt.

I included Barbie Style #248 with my Angel Reese order in July. As usual, I photographed the doll both in and out of the package. 

The doll was photographed inside the package.

Next, I recorded the doll's full description on my Excel Doll Inventory 2026 spreadsheet. The description column reads as follows:

11-1/2 inch Barbie, new head sculpt, has a long black ponytail with crimped ends, painted-on baby hair, a smiling mouth with painted teeth, dark lip color; wears a two-piece blue-and-white floral-print shorts outfit with gray high-top sneakers, and a white choker. Now Redressed.

Before discarding the package, I took a photo of the back, where 248 appears on the 2nd row, the 2nd doll from the left.

The Unboxed Photos

This pretty doll posed for a close-up and three full-length photos.

The original two-piece blue-and-white print shorts set suits her petite figure and youthful look, but because of the stiffened fabric, I opted to redress her in more stylish clothing made of better material, as illustrated next. 

A white tie-front blouse with 3/4 length sleeves is paired with a pair of plaid slacks. She wears her original necklace and gray sneakers. I pierced her ears and added white stud earrings.

I took another close-up after redressing her. (She reminds me of the actress Lovie Simone).

She wears a pair of aviator shades with her new clothes.

I asked ChatGPT about the materials used for most play-line Barbie clothes and why these stiffened synthetic materials are used. 

Question/Prompt: Why do recently released play-line Barbie clothes feel like stiffened paper or plastic?

Answer: The clothes for new play-line Barbies feel that way because Mattel heavily uses printed polyester with heat-sealed edges and plastic laminates to maximize production speed and lower costs.

Why New Play-Line Clothes Feel Like Plastic

• No Real Hems: Modern play-line clothes rarely have sewn hems. Instead, the edges are melted with heat (heat-sealed) to prevent fraying, which turns the fabric edge into hard plastic.
• Printed Plastic Graphics: Instead of sewing different fabrics together, patterns like pockets, buttons, and glitter are printed directly onto a stiff, paper-thin polyester sheet using vinyl ink.
• No Woven Threads: Many budget items use non-woven synthetics. These materials are bonded by heat or chemicals rather than woven from thread, giving them a stiff, paper-like texture. [1]
• Velcro Compatibility: Stiff, densely packed synthetic fibers make it easier to attach aggressive Velcro fasteners without snagging the rest of the outfit.

How to Soften Them up

• Warm Water Wash: Soaking the clothes in warm water with a drop of liquid fabric softener can break down the factory stiffening agents.
• Conditioner Soak: Rubbing a tiny bit of cheap hair conditioner into the fabric and rinsing it can relax the stiff synthetic fibers.
• Air Dry Only: Always air dry Barbie clothes, as heat from a dryer or iron will permanently melt and warp the plastic materials. [2]

[1] https://www.reddit.com

[2] https://www.ubuy.mq

This is good information, but I'll probably continue to redress dolls that wear stiffened, super-synthetic fashions instead of softening the clothes. With the help of AI, I placed Barbie Style 248 (maybe I'll name her Lovie) outside an upscale shopping boutique. I added a bracelet to match her necklace, a shoulder bag, and a shopping bag as illustrated in the last image.

Lovie looks very chic in this photograph.

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©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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Two More MiniBrands Fashion Capsules

Two additional Series 4 MiniBrands Fashion capsules arrived in July. Purchase-wise, these are capsules 6 and 7.

Since my last post about MiniBrands Fashion capsules, I have ordered two additional capsules. The contents of each capsule are shown and described below. 

Capsule 6

This capsule contained the collector's guide, a quilted light green purse, a gold cuff bracelet, a green paisley-print "silk" scarf, and a pair of brown boots that have a painted floral design on one side of each.

This image illustrates the brown boots and the painted floral design better.

I was excited when I saw the brown boots because I almost purchased them on eBay for more than I paid for the complete, unopened capsule.

Capsule 7

The collector's guide, a faux eel-skin handbag, a kitten that wears removable sunglasses, a pair of light green high-heels with a daisy design at the toe, and a pair of heart-shaped silver earrings were in capsule 7.

The sunglasses were loose inside the package with the cat, shoes, and earrings. Initially, I thought they were made for a doll. 

It was when So-in-Style Trichelle tried on the pink MiniBrands shades that I realized...

...because of the short temples or arms of the shades, they were made for the cat!

Thankfully, I have not purchased any duplicate MiniBrands Fashion capsules. I had vowed that these two were the last ones I would purchase; however, there is a pair of knee-high black boots that I'd like to add to my MiniBrands Fashion collection. Maybe I'll try my luck just once more. 

Related Post

MiniBrands Fashion Capsule *Updated*

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All photos and text are copyrighted and may not be used elsewhere without the author's permission.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, use the About page link, which is also visible in Web View mode, find, and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for over 1000 curated installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind Black dolls. 

55th Anniversary Christie's Fashion

Waiting to be dressed, an auburn-haired ponytail Barbie clone arrived nude in February 2026.

In 2025, I  began purchasing #1 Barbie-ish clones from China. The last one arrived in February 2026. Sold nude, this auburn-haired ponytail doll is a duplicate of another one that I dressed in the reproduction Barbie Roman Holiday fashion. I had planned to do the same with this doll by dressing her in a fashion that I received as a birthday gift in 2018. That plan changed after my duplicate 55th Anniversary Christie's unboxing. 

Barbie Clone Gets Dressed in 55th Anniversary Christie's Ensemble

The orange wet-look dress fits her well. Her legs are thinner than 55th Anniversary Christie's, which leaves leg room in the boot legs, but they fit well enough.

She wears Christie's "C" letter necklace. In her case, the "C" stands for clone. I added different gold drop earrings because Christie's earrings are glued on.

The floor-length cover-up and gold lamé belt complete this look, and Miss Clone struck a pose.

She assumed another solo pose.

Miss Clone and Christie, who now wears Barbie Basics Model 03's black halter dress and black knee-high boots, posed for this final photo.

They both wear their new clothes well. 

I used AI to deepen Christie's lip color, which I will eventually paint in a similar way.

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and may not be used elsewhere without the author's permission.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, use the About page link, which is also visible in Web View mode; find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for over 1000 curated installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind Black dolls. 

Contact the curator from the contact page of the VBDM to have your profile as a Black-doll collector or artist featured on the museum website.