The following decade saw a move away from the traditional corset towards the infinitely more comfortable 'elastic girdle'. Silhouette were one of the first companies to promote the new style of corsetry in the UK, using American advertising slogans ('You ought to be hugged not squeezed', 'You look so naughty feel so nice') to replace the more practical advertising of earlier days. The Little X girdle, designed by Ann-Marie Lobbenberg in 1958, proved to be particularly popular amongst younger women.
Silhouette continued to develop and grow over the succeeding decades, still run by members of the original Lobbenberg and Blumenau families. By 1969, the company owned five factories and employed 1,900 people. The Silhouette brand was sold in 61 countries and the firm was a main supplier for Marks and Spencer, as well as being the the largest swimwear manufacturer in Britain. Its popularity was helped by its reputation, acquired over the years, for excellent fit.
In 1979, family members decided to sell Silhouette, and the company changed hands several times before being bought by M.T.M in 1981. M.T.M. owned Spencers, an established company known particularly for their made-to-measure corsetry, and realised that the fashionable Silhouette brand would compliment their own, more traditional product. Silhouette production was transferred to the Spencer factory in Banbury.