Jordan’s apostrophe tips

[31 Jan 2012] There’s usually one story a year (and only one, if we’re lucky) about the vagaries of the apostrophe, and this year’s has come unusually early with the Waterstones branding saga (see Pikestaff 54).

Where to turn for guidance on whether apostrophes are worth bothering with any more? The front cover of ‘Katie’, a glossy page-turner published by glamour model Jordan (£3.99 in all good newsagents, since you ask), is a usually reliable source and the latest edition doesn’t let her fans down with this perfectly positioned effort:
• I give my verdict on celebrities’ style

After Jordan’s recent triumph in an Oxford Union debate, where she defeated the journalists Liz Jones and Rachel Johnson, avid ‘Katie’ readers can surely look forward to her top-ten punctuation tips in the next issue.

They’d be a great help to my local branch of Marks & Spencer, which offers this, in massive lettering:
• Womens fitting rooms

So that obviously needs one of Waterstones’ banished apostrophes between the n and the s. If Jordan can make the effort to punctuate well as part of her branding, why can’t M&S?  [MC]