Kate Upton Declares Granny Panties ‘In’ With Red Hot Instagram Shot — Calls Out Justin Verlander

Kate Upton is best known for the “less is more” approach to building her skyrocketing modeling career. The less she wears, the more popular she becomes. While her girl-next-door personality has something to do with the massive fame she has attained at the tender age of 22, it appears without question that her willingness to display her physical assets with as little covering as possible has been a key to her success.

But now, Kate Upton is going in a different direction — sort of. As far as underwear is concerned, the Michigan native now says that more is more. She says she’s moving on from skimpy bikini bottoms and embracing her inner granny. At least as far as her panties are concerned.

That was the message Upton sent to her fans via her Instagram account Wednesday, posting the photo below featuring great, big pair of the jockey-short-style undergarment known as “granny panties.”

Here’s the caption she attached to the sexy shot.

“In honor of #grannypanties being HOT again! I’m back in trend betches! @justinverlander I told you!! #imsoexcited #ijustcanthideit”

Why she felt the need to tag her current boyfriend, currently injured 32-year-old Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander. Does Verlander have some problem with his gal pal donning the oversize underthings? Or was Kate Upton simply pointing out that her instinct for prognosticating fashion trends is better than that of her baseball-playing boyfriend.

But should that be a surprise?

On the other hand, maybe Upton was just trying to send Verlander a little good cheer as he recovers from the injury to the triceps on his $219.5 million right arm. Verlander is scheduled to pitch Saturday not on the big stage of Comerica Park in Detroit in front of 40,000 screaming fans — but at 10,300-capacity Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio, home of the minor league Toledo Mud Hens.

The Mud Hens are the Tigers top minor league affiliate, and Verlander will make a start for that team as he continues to rehabilitate his injury.

As for Upton, she proved once again that does have her fingers, or at least her panties, on the pulse. Even the resolutely behind-the-curve New York Times has declared granny panties back in style.

“A young generation of women is discovering a new brand of sexy in the most unlikely of places: their grandmothers’ underwear drawers,” the “paper of record” noted in an article last week, pointing out that sales of skimpy “thong” underwear have slid by seven percent over the past year.

At the same time, the fuller style of women’s underwear — the “granny panties” favored by Kate Upton — have jumped in sales by 17 percent.

[Images: Kate Upton Instagram]