Proportions of a Coat

I am 5'8", with a thin frame. I recently found this beautiful vintage overcoat that fits me perfectly in the shoulders and body, I just need to shorten the sleeves a bit. It's double breasted, and the six buttons are all parallel and completely centered on the body of the coat. That brings me to my question; I am young, and I am really into fashion, so while this piece is pretty timeless, I would be willing to add a quirk here and there; The coat is a full length, it hits lower to mid-calf, but it really dwarfs me, and just doesn't work for my style. I am wanting to have it shortened to about an inch above the knee, so not quite 3/4, but not quite full length. Kind of a line between stylish and classic.

I am completely aware that shortening the coat would throw the buttons "off-balance", moving them from being dead center to being at the lower portion of the coat. Traditionally, this can look rather strange. So, I had a few thoughts on how to counteract this.

1. Add a fourth pair of matching buttons at the top, creating three parallel rows with an additional wider breast row of buttons.

2. Take off the bottom buttons for a four-button double breasted look. (of course, it'd leave a visible buttonhole at the bottom, not sure if that would be a huge issue)

3. Take off the bottom row of buttons and move them to the wider section at the chest, shifting the balance upwards.

4. Leave the buttons intact, for a low-buttoning coat. (it just seems like it'd look weird)

Pretend you had to pick one of those options, I'm not interested in reasoning why or why I shouldn't shorten the coat. Let's pretend I already did, and you must now make one of the choices above. 

Thanks!

I already acknowledged that some would say this, so that still doesn't really answer much. By what you say, it may work to add an extra top pair, I've seen great 8 button coats before. Butchering is an exaggeration, in my opinion, making a nice piece more wearable seems appropriate. I have acknowledged that I want to counteract the shortcomings; I never said I was going to dip it in a vat of oil and chainsaws before getting any alterations made. ;)

Well, I have searched for a camel coat for quite some time. It seems impossible to find something that is great for less than 500, which I was about to spend, until I found this vintage piece. It has never been worn. It's perfect condition, the design is lovely, from the buttons to the peak lapels and the epaulettes, everything. It was too much of a steal to let go in any aspect. The quality is great, this is an awesome coat. But I am young, and the camel look is my favorite, but the more fashionable cuts are extremely pricey. I am a student that doesn't have that type of budget right now. I like the very slight looseness, it's not exactly form-fit, but it's not blatantly oversized. It's so perfect, except for one aspect. I wouldn't just jump into anything, I am putting a lot of thought into this. For my personal taste, the whole thing is too good to let go, and if I don't alter it, I am surely not giving it away anytime soon. But if I can make this wearable for my taste in a presentable manner, I definitely will. 

Here are some photos, the closed one is a better reference. I included some very rough, badly photoshopped edits of what I was thinking of doing, more or less, but as I said, I am not sure. Keep in mind, the length is exaggerated by the angle of the picture, so it doesn't actually make my legs look that awkward. And I wasn't really dressing for it, I just threw the coat over what I had on:

Closed:

[IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/10xsnll.jpg[/IMG]

Open:

[IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/25tdq2g.jpg[/IMG]

Man of Lint: Actually, no, mirror taken into consideration, the coat clearly buttons left over right, and there is not much tapering on the actual garment. 

Saturdays: I clarified that I wasn't dressed up for it, I am aware that these coats are not made for a simple v-neck.