Dress alterations (I sooo need a digital camera)

[Minli Xiao]

(I'm very close to having one, I think, but that doesn't help me now.)

See, my friend Cassandra is very tall and very pretty, but she's also kind of plain in her dressing, despite her short, unnaturally black hair and love of velvet Mandarin shirts. She's a jeans and shirt and thin black jacket kind of girl, so my great aunt bought a green knee-length (well, it's knee-length on me, but she's about five inches taller) dress from the thrift store where she works for her.
And, boy, is it ever tacky.
It's a very dark green, with shoulder pads, one of those stupid fake pockets on the breast with some dopey lace sticking out of it, cloth buttons with cloth-hoop "hooks," but it does lace up a little at the waist in the back. That may be its only redeeming quality.
So, my plans are to cut out the padding and the fake pocket, replace the green string used for the lacing with a shiney green or black ribbon, and possibly sew thumb holes in the long sleeves. Of course, it needs black tights or pants under it, and probably a black choker necklace of some kind...

I want to ask for suggestions, but I know that's kinda impractical without a picture. I may or may not have one later in the week, but I'm wondering if anyone else has a story about dress surgery they'd like to share, or anything they thought of from my crap little description.
Thank you!

[Raion]

Simple, toss it in the trash and don't tell anyone.

[Minli Xiao]

Thanks a lot, Jordan whee
Not what I had in mind...

[I be me]

just fiddle with it
there is a good cance you may bodge it completly
but hell, it was ugly to start with