(CBS) Prom dressing used to be all about wearing miles of taffeta in pastel colors, but the days of girls looking like poorly dressed bridesmaids in search of a wedding are so over.

Today's prom looks borrow from runways and red carpets, with sophisticated styles, varying lengths and a rainbow of colors.

Joyann King, ElleGirl.com's fashion editor, visited TheShowBuzz.com to talk about how to select the perfect prom look.

"The first thing is to settle on your personal style, the second is to find a dress that's right for your body type, and third, find a dress that's comfortable so you can have fun on the dance floor," she said.

Popular trends this year includes floral embellishments, metallics, Grecian styles, and contrasting shades of bright colors.

Short dresses are just as popular as long dress this season, especially because they're flattering for all heights.

Putting together a great prom outfit can be done on a budget, King said.

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Photos: Girls Gone Mild

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"If it were me I would spend a little more money on the dress and then go cheaper on the accessories," she said.

King thinks it's not necessary to show a lot of skin at prom. She believes in making a choice that's age appropriate.

"There are a lot of outrageous dresses out there," she said. "I think that girls nowadays are just trying to dress so much older than they are and they are forgetting about how beautiful and young they look right now. They see the red carpet; they read Us Weekly, and they want to look like the woman on the red carpet who's 35 years old. I want to remind girls to look your age, wear color, don't wear a heavy beaded black dress. You have the rest of your life to do that."

For more on all things prom, check out ElleGirl.com.

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