The British are coming!

It's a refashion. The refashion resembles a military-esque, red garment. A Redcoat? Get it? The red coats worn by the British during the Revolutionary War? Thanks, Paul Revere.
I may appear to be in good spirits, but I assure you that I am scared, sad, and weak. Were I last left off, I was awaiting cardiac surgery for my father. The team opted not to do surgery as it is just too risky. He is now home with a steady stream of antibiotics coursing through his bloodstream. Now, there's a man in good spirits. Last Sunday, he gave us a dire warning which included the words "it may not be a very long life." Those words have been circling my mind, filling me with dread since I heard it.
Let's break from the story here for the "before" picture.

 So, it's some kind of long, red vest? It appealed to me as soon as I saw it, and after much deciding, I bought it from the Goodwill at full price.

 Look what's happening up in that shoulder area.

See? The arm holes were not sewed in place properly and excess material just flopped out. Also, I'll admit to having wide hips, but this dress seems to accentuate them up to 11.
I return to my regular scheduled program:
There comes a time for a child to grow up and for the roles of caregiver to switch so that the child can take care of the parent. My mom told us that my sister and I needed to be strong for her. I sobbed and said that I'm never strong and that I still need my dad.
 Luckily for me, there he was. I sat next to him on the couch and he held me in his arms, kissing the top of my head. Instead of being brave I was weak, and the dad that I should be tough for was once again being tough for me. He reassured us that he had hope, that his doctors had hope and that we should too. I just wanted him to hold me forever and never leave my side.
So, that's pretty sad. Let's see some steps to my little outfit, ok?

I lowered the neckline a bit. 

Then I did that "taking up the shoulders" trick that I use because I'm short. Sometimes, it actually works. What I did to this garment is very reminiscent of what I did with this costume (click the link, it's fabulous). 

So, a couple steps seem to be missing from my pics. I used one of those clip dealies that take in the back of a dress to nip the waist a bit. Then, I used a black fabric marker to color in the fake pocket areas. The after:

It's like a sleeveless coat thing. Layered over tight black clothes.

What occasion is this even for? Can I wear it to work? I mean should I?