Ah, the middle of February. Just when it seems winter will never end, the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition provides the escape we’ve been waiting for since, well, last year’s issue came out. Nineteen-year-old Kate Upton landed this year’s coveted spot after being named the magazine’s rookie of the year in 2011. Though the issue doesn’t hit newsstands until Tuesday, the cover was officially unveiled Monday in Times Square before Upton went in to film Late Night With David Letterman, which airs tonight. Upton was photographed outside Letterman’s studio on Monday looking bronzed but chilly in a skimpy white dress. She joins a long line of famous models to have graced the cover, including Elle Macpherson and Christie Brinkley.
