Lee: The Good, the Bad and the Wet – Part one

 welcome from Learjet! A little diversion from our usual walk: these two posts will continue on the theme of clothing in SMK, seasons one and two. We’ll be looking at Lee’s bad clothing choices and the surprisingly large collection of “Wet Lee” moments – all your favourites will be there, and more that you may not have noticed drool1  . In  the second post, we’ll be exploring Lee at his best – smart and casual.

Bad Lee

We’ll get Lee’s unfortunate fashion moments out of the way first. So many wonderful moments in Service Above and Beyond, but the grey “plastic” jacket is not one of them.

S1E7_bad_jacket_Lee

Coupled with a beige shirt, this is not a good look. Just my opinion, but Lee should stick with blue, black, grey and a bit of red. Brown, beige and (worst of all) mustard are not his colours. What saves this moment are those dimples. And those hands.

  I’m going to avoid discussion of ties – I bow to KC’s expertise in this field – but I will briefly mention this terrible combination from Service Above and Beyond. S1E7_badsuit_Lee IHMO, brown ties should be universally banned, as should cream jackets and combining them with a pale blue striped shirt and (to crown it all off) a gold-coloured tie pin shudder .

 

  And while I’m on the subject of bad tie/shirt/jacket combos, we have the cream tie in The Long Christmas Eve.S1E10_worst_Lee

Other components of the nonsemble would work well – on their own. But the combination is cringeworthy.

 

 S1E5_Lee_jewellery 

Speaking about “ties”, this may be the place to “showcase”  the sparkly horror bolo tie (The ACM Kid), with Christmas cracker-style (un)matching ring (not how you want those hands highlighted!):

 and buckle:

 S1E5_Lee_buckle

The next two shirts are my worst Lee shirts –S1E8_worst_shirt_neckline_Lee the one with the weird neckline, flap-over thingie (Saved By the Bells) – hideous! And combined with those nasty grey melange trousers, Lee looks almost dumpy. And grumpy spin .

 

 

  And then there is the creamy collarless shirt with the mysterious, huge University of California red and blue badge. Yuck yuck . S1E11_badtop_nojacket_Lee The eye is drawn to that badge. The jeans don’t even help.

 

 

 

 S1E11_badshirt_withjacket_LeeAdd a strange checked jacket into the mix and, well, the badge is mercifully concealed but the jacket is nearly as bad. And, oh no, there’s guyliner now…

 Speaking of cream and bad jackets, I’m reminded of the cream polo with the twin jackets in The Affair at Bromfield Hall. Which is the worst? S2E8_creampolo_horrorjacket_Lee The checked one is like an overbusy chess board (and accompanied by lashings of guyliner),

 

 

 

 

S2E8_creampolo_worse_horrorjacket_Lee but I think the shapeless, strangely coloured affair is particularly unflattering. (Is that a hint of tum wink ?) For once, Lee looks worse the scenery. London definitely wins out.

 

  On the subject of  the polo-neck (AKA roll-neck, skivvy, turtle-neck), here is the exception to the “Lee looks good in red” rule (and this is something coming from someone who loves red and appreciates Lee’s – um – good looks). S2E8_red_polo_strangeHankie_Lee I think the red is too tomatoey; Lee needs more of a blue-red. And what is that flower-like hankie in the jacket pocket? Looks like a girly hair accessory! This also comes from The Affair at Bromfield Hall. Brian Cox, costumer for men in this episode and for To Catch a Mongoose, I’m looking at you! Lee looked so good in the latter episode. What happened??

  Then there is the spotted cravat from Weekend. S1E20_cravatandpolo_Lee With a polo shirt. And a jacket.  Nooooo 15_weeping . I actually like the colours – they look good on Lee, but the pseudo-upper class look is silly. And I don’t like his hair. Plus there’s a matching umbrella sticking out his head.

 

  Last, but not least, our suave man-about-town is transformed into S2E2_tourist_worst_Lee an American tourist in his loud Hawaiian shirt in the Munich beer garden (note the obligatory camera around his neck: “subtle” SMK code for “tourist”). He puts Sam Axe from Burn Notice in the shade cool_shades in this fashion horror.

 

  The good news is that Learjet’s selection of bad Lee moments is over. From now onwards, it’s pure joy smile  (or pure drool drool1 ).

Wet Lee

Achtung! wink  Here follows the shallowest section of the Clothing posts collection.

To start with a few outliers that don’t fit this category but are in the spirit of “Wet Lee”. Who could forget the open shirt in Here Comes the Neighbourhood?S1E2_openshirt_Lee Does anyone else think that this, combined with the show pony tux moment in The First Time were specifically inserted to hook susceptible female viewers (i.e. any female aged 8 year and up)?

 Lee with  a hint of  bullet proof vest (The ACM Kid): S1E5_openshirt_bulletvest_Lee

 Lee in shorts: S1E3_shorts_in_hosp_Lee

Lee in shorts at the hospital (If Thoughts Could Kill). I’m afraid the grumpy child attitude spoils the legs for me.

 

 

 Lee on camp with Amanda (Magic Bus) S1E4_shorts_strangesocks_Lee  – phewww – strange socks yuck . And the socks also showed up in Sudden Death, as Kiwismh pointed out.

 

 

 

 And to follow, Lee in blue boxers (Saviour) wink . S1E16_blueboxers_Lee This, along with a later reference to Lee’s blue boxers, has spawned a web-site, a few handles and more than one fanfic. I had a pair of these in the 80s – they were called “silkies” at the time) but I certainly didn’t look this good (in fact I looked pretty awful – all the other little girls had ankle boots and fluoro clothes and nail polish.)

 And our first sighting of Wet Lee was in The First Time. He and Amanda had just escaped from the party where she was, as she said, “hideously underdressed”, and got soaked after another car hit the fire hydrant. S1E1_wet_Lee Here he is, in “that tux”, in Amanda’s garden, waiting for her to pass reams of blue kitchen roll out the window while having a little chat with Dotty. 

 

 

 We have a long wait S1E20_wet_Leeuntil our next Wet Lee sighting, but it’s worth the wait. He’s hanging out the shower at the Cumberland in Weekend, while Amanda frantically calls for him as she was the kidnapping on at the tennis court below their window. Can’t you step out the shower for us, Lee wink  I think this is the most we see of Lee in the whole of SMK. And it’s not much sigh

 Next we have the “Colin Firth as Mr Darcy” moment. Lee and Amanda jump into the moat in The Legend of Das Geisterschloss. S2E4_wet_Lee For the shallow fans among us (including myself), this one of the visual highlights of the series. Blue shirt smile . Unbuttoned blush . Wet drool1 . Vivid green in the background faint . Enough said.

 

 

 

The last two Wet Lee moments are a big comedown. S2E8_bad_wet_Lee  One of the previous worst Lee outfits, but wet (in The Affair at Bromfield Hall) – an improvement on the dry version of the jacket, but not up to the Mr Darcy look:

 

 

  …and Wet Lee in a Suit (Spiderweb). S2E13_wet_Lee  IWSOD acutely observes that BB appears to be wearing a wetsuit under his shirt. Not very exciting for the female viewer.

 

 

 So there we have it: the Bad and the Wet. I’m trying to put the Bad out of my head and have picked my favourite Wet or similar moments for you to choice between. Which is your favourite Lee?

 

45 thoughts on “Lee: The Good, the Bad and the Wet – Part one”

  1. As a Virginia Tech alumnus, I feel like I immediately noticed that shirt with the big badge from ROTP when I watched that episode – I think it was actually a University of Virginia shirt, not California (since Lee and Amanda I think are both referred to as having attended college there). UVA and VT are big rivals. But I let it go where SMK is concerned.

    Also from ROTP is one of the looks on Lee that for some reason always makes me giggle was the dual shirt (BOTH with collars) plus a blazer look he had when he arrives alive and in Amanda’s family room. Maybe he was hoping that would make Amanda more shocked than the fact that he faked his death.

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  2. I love this post Learjet! Spent most the time trying to be appalled at the fashion no-nos but kept laughing at your comments so it made it hard to care if Lee is horribly dressed! Lee as Mr. Darcy wins for me swoon thud Love all you folks and the communal drooling going on. And happy anniversary iwsod! You’ve created a welcoming path to the rabbit hole of Smkland!

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    1. It’s a relief that even Lee, that debonair man-of-the-world (I think we could call him a modern day Corinthian, Jule 😉 )can make some bad fashion choices….

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  3. Learjet, I just want you to know that I haven’t commented a lot on this thread but I have come here at least once a day, and often more, since you posted it to just scroll through and think happy thoughts. 🙂 (Except for that ascot. Can’t get past the terrible, terrible ascot)

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  4. Back for more wet Lee!!! Actually I think I hadn’t gotten to wet Lee yet when I had to stop lol..

    on rofl..I think Lee is dressed for a cover with the Hawaiian shirt! rofl.. loved the Sam Axe reference Learjet – cool is cool baby!

    the shallow selection? rofl!

    Hey! Love how you managed to sneak in a few Lee moments where he isn’t even wet but which are totally drool inducing… now that’s sneaky Learjet..and.. I like it 😉

    Absolutely a hook for the ladies! Hey Magnum was swanning around all the time with no shirt on.. Lee had to compete!

    I’m probably not the first to say it – but I don’t have time to go reread comments- Lee isn’t wearing a bullet proof vest in ACM Kid – that’s bandages around his ribcage because he got bashed up and probably has a few broken ribs (which don’t seem to bother him when he is doing is dirt bike thing at the end there.. funny that.. magic bandages)

    re the silkies- don’t worry Learjet! we all looked awful in the 80’s!

    rofl.. I’m actually getting distracted by the references to early smk.. not wet Lee! I love this idea that Mr ‘super together, pose on the stairs, I’m in a tux’ Stetson winds up wet and hiding in Amanda’s garden relying on her paper towels – oh how far they fall! haaaa

    Learjet wrote:

    can’t you step out of the shower for us Lee

    rofl! I too funny!!

    Visual highlight? Happy thoughts indeed!!! A man in possession of a wet shirt must be in want of a wife! 😉

    Wet blue shirt Lee- I don’t really get why he doesn’t take it off all together.. it’s wet..clinging.. agahgohadobbsag.. slap and it would dry faster hanging over something..
    Yep- I’m with you Learjet.. a totally swoony look!

    Wet skivvy errr I mean turtleneck?? ewwwww.. yes an improvement! haaaa love it!

    Awh. thanks for the shout out Learjet – I spent a lot of time studying that wet white shirt of Lee’s 😉 well.. I guess we didn’t want BB to end up with pneumonia

    Thanks for the Bad and the wet – I’m looking forward to the oh sooo good!

    whoooo tough choice..
    Okay I went with the Mr Darcy look. I always love Lee in in the great outdoors! Whooooo seems I’m with the majority!

    thanks Learjet for the smk fun!!! byeee all!!!

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    1. “Visual highlight? Happy thoughts indeed!!! A man in possession of a wet shirt must be in want of a wife!”
      😀 😀 😀 – Jane Austen must be turning her grave. Wet Mr Darcy preceded by Wet Lee…
      Maybe you could offer to rub down Lee, Iwsod…just so he doesn’t get pneumonia 😉

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  5. I just noticed this week that the cream tie that Lee wears in The Long Christmas Eve and the red tie that Billy wears in the same scene with him are both knit ties. Do you suppose they’re both following the same fashion trend, or were they last year’s Christmas presents from Jeannie?

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    1. I think we’ll need to consult our resident tie expert. KC, were knitted ties de rigueur in 1983? (Please stop me if I start knitting ties, someone!!)

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      1. I vaguely remember thinking I saw the red knitted tie on Billy at one stage too..

        I see them as a 70’s thing.. but I could be completely wrong 🙂

        Tie Patrol!!! We need you!!! 🙂

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  7. Hi guys.. this is not related to this wonderful post of Learjet’s really.. but just wanted to mention today is the 4 year anniversary of JWWM!!!!!!

    Thanks everyone for contributing to such a fun and open community! 🙂
    I’m so glad we are on this walk together!

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    1. Happy 4th birthday JWWM 🙂 and thanks for your perseverance in the walk through all the trials of RL, Iwsod. It continues to brighten my day!

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    2. Happy 4th birthday JWWM 😀 and thank YOU for walking us through all episodes up to now, IWSOD. You really do a fab job here and I appreciate it a lot.

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    3. Happy anniversary JWWM!!! 4 years? Wow! That is quite an accomplishment! Thank you, iwsod, for creating the blog and being so devoted to it! Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and this blog is one of the things I am very thankful for! And pictures of wet Lee. 😉

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  10. My oh my…an entire post of just Lee Stetson…where’s my fan?

    What saves this moment are those dimples. And those hands.

    There is no one, and I mean no one, with better looking hands than Lee Stetson. If SMK used a hand model, I don’t wanna know about it and I will not believe it anyway! And is it my imagination, or does Lee look like he’s wearing eye shadow in that picture with the brown tie? That picture from TLCE is not a great look, I agree, but what saves him there is his absolutely flawless skin. Yowza! No wonder Estee Lauder snapped him up!

    I do kind of like his cream turtleneck with that check jacket though. I think it’s my New England upbringing though – I like a man in a turtleneck and plaid.

    Oh gosh – that look from Weekend with that awful polka dotted neckerchief – rofl! Is he trying to be Thurston Howell the 4th? Good catch on the matching umbrella 😉

    Oh my, Lee as Mr. Darcy, ahem…my vote for best picture – hands down. No dimples, but I love that serious look he is giving.
    Where is the picture of Lee in his hideous jumpers? I thought that would make the list. I think I remember complaints about the ones he wore in Magic Bus and and The Long Christmas Eve.

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    1. Oops – I think I like the Christmas jumper. I think it might have made it into the good Lee look. Maybe I just have bad taste and now I’ve revealed to all of JWWM 😀
      I think that’s pale greyish-blue eye shadow with the brown tie. It’s discreet but it’s there. Not as bad as guyliner, thank goodness!

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      1. Just as you told Michele, sometimes focusing on Lee’s face makes the difference. I even forgot about that plastic gray jacket because of that boyish grin he’s giving. That outfit would have looked better with a leather jacket, by the way.

        I can’t remember the Christmas jumper at the moment, but I’ll bet that Lee’s pulling it off in his usual adorable way. 😉

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      2. Oops is right! I was rushing and trying to type up my comment before my husband came in the room and so I just posted it without reading it. I thought you were the one, Learjet, who didn’t like the jumpers…sorry! I didn’t go back and look. I actually like the jumper in TLCE too. Again, it is a type of sweater popular where I grew up. I’m looking forward to seeing it in your next post.

        I also didn’t get a chance to say thanks for doing this drool-worthy post of Lee! It’s great! I love all the pictures and it’s fun to go back and look at the fashion faux pas they make. Fortunately, I don’t think any of Lee’s bad looks are quite as bad as Francine’s! hahaha

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  11. Okay here we go… Have to say that even when Lee looks bad, he looks good! Yes, the dimples. You’re right Iwsod, all is forgiven when it comes to the dimples. 😀

    I’ve always hated that Univ of CA shirt. Does not flatter him at all! Our eyes are drawn toward that logo and it’s too big. Definitely not a fan of that Hawaiian shirt. What was wardrobe thinking? And as much as I love the concept of cowboy Lee, that bolo tie was awful! I try to look past that in ACM kid because he’s just so darn cute. I wish Amanda found a moment to snatch that bolo tie away from him and hide it! Would have been great if after the “Frankly, Ricky Joe” moment and she throws her drink on him, she removes the bolo tie, then storms off with it. 😉

    I actually don’t mind Lee in turtlenecks. The jacket combos weren’t working in Affair at Bromfield Hall but I’m not as bothered by them. What is with that Saved by the Bells shirt? I guess I wasn’t paying as much attention to it before, but it bothers me now. That ‘Weekend’ outfit? Yikes! Makes me think he was kidnapped by the same fashion criminals that attack Francine on the way to work and dress her in hideous attire. Lastly, the brown and cream color ties don’t work, I’ll agree.

    I do have my favorites, but I see we have a part II coming, so I’ll wait and see what Learjet has in store for us. 🙂

    The shorts? Okay, but not with the knee-high socks. As much as I love wet Lee in The First Time, my vote goes to the wet, open blue shirt in The Legend of Das Geisterschloss. 😀

    Thanks again, Learjet! Nicely researched and quite a treat! 😀

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    1. It has been suggest by a certain JWWM ‘member’ that we be allowed to do degrees in SMK. Have I earned a credit?? I was diligent…

      The bolo tie should have been thrown in the bin. Or maybe she should have strangled Lee with it….Thanks for the reminder of Amanda and her “Ricky Joe” moment, Sara – it’s one of my S1 favourite moments (if not a cute Lee moment)…

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      1. Oh yes, m’dear, I think you’ve earned a Masters! 🙂 Your subject was a bit ‘distracting’ to say the least. Especially the ‘wet Lee’ scenes.. 😉 The Ricky Joe moment is a S1 favorite of mine too!

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      2. I think I may have at one point floated the idea of doing a thesis on smk 😉

        I give Lee a pass on any outfit that was a cover – Lee had quite a few outfits which IMHO were playing a cover.
        so the bolo tie is fine.. I like that Lee is not afraid to look a bit silly or cliché for a cover ID!
        Heck.. the man even dressed up as a pirate 😉 – mind you.. he still looked good. very good.

        This could make me feel better about the white turtleneck.. he was playing the role of upper class pretentious American snoot.. but.. he wears the red one at the end once his cover is no more.. Oh I know.. Lord Bromfield knew, but that doesn’t mean anyone else seeing Lee knew – so he had to maintain the cover.. phew.. there you go.. mental gymnastics done for me. the coloured turtlenecks shame was all part of the snooty Lee/corporate climber cover ID!

        BTW- I LOVE the black turtle neck- hoooo haaaaaaa.. that one works. the other turtlenecks?…. not so much..
        gotta run! byeee everyone!
        And.. happy thanksgiving in the USA yes? no?

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  12. Okay.. got my helmet! Got my drool bucket!
    I’ll share a few thoughts while I read your post Learjet
    that way it’s likely I’ll be able to maintain some coherent thought here!

    Thanks for the diversion!!
    I love love love that together we can get deep and
    pondering about these characters.. and we can get equally shallow and silly! haaaaa!!
    It’s just what life calls for sometimes no?

    Is it possible for Lee to have bad clothing choices? He makes bad clothes good!! 😉 okay.. I’ll try to focus on the clothes. Not Lee.. not dimples..

    Wet Lee I haven’t noticed? LOL this needs to be fixed asap!

    Hey I thought that SAAB tag jacket was light blue.. but lol yeah it’s not the best look! (didn’t the baddie in Car Wars wear this jacket?!)
    Oh yeah dimples save the day!

    You know, I agree- this SAAB brown tie outfit was a shocker.
    Oh my gosh! yes!!!! that white tie in TLCE was hideous too!!!
    [Lee still looked gorgeous though 😉 ]

    Agree! really don’t like that white shirt with the weird neckline! lol no wonder he looks grumpy!
    (nothing to do with Amanda being kidnaped because of him?! haaa)

    Is the checked jacket Lee is wearing while on the phone Dean’s?

    Oh my gosh.. I had truly forgotten these outfits.. Lee gives them a halo effect 😉
    That white turtle neck is so far – my least favourite Lee outfit. I loathe it. Second least fave is the red one..

    For once, Lee looks worse the scenery. London definitely wins out.

    rofl! Learjet I love it!

    I’m going to pace myself.. and stop with the red turtleneck!
    I’ll be back for more soon 🙂

    thanks for the laughs Learjet!

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    1. I had to soften us up for all the swooniness by providing Lee looking less than his best. Note to Lee: don’t hide your neck with turtles or cravats 🙂

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  13. My son looked very worried right now when he walked in the room and found me crying until he realized I was laughing. That “Saved by the Bells” shirt has always given me nightmares.

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  14. I thought he looked good even in the awful outfits!! (and I totally agree with you about them but somehow, it doesn’t really seem to matter to much;-) )

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  15. Oh Learjet, you just made my day (which wasn’t looking too good until now)!! 🙂
    I’ll be back to examine the evidence a little more, then make my comments and vote. 😀 And I agree with Cindy, it’ll be a tough one!

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So what do you think??? :)

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