The dilemma with vintage clothes

Should vintage clothes be preserved at all cost, not altered in any ways, even if it means I would never use them? I have this crazy long skirt, probably from the 70's. and even though I really do adore it, there is no way I can bring myself to wear it. It's not really my style, but I'm hesitant to destroy something that is in fact a fashion heirloom. On the other hand, what use is it just lying in a drawer? Ponder, ponder....

After much back and forth, I finally decided to alter it. Even thought I love the end result, I'm still not sure I did the right thing. See what you think:

There is no question about it, this is one weird skirt. It could come back in fashion, I could  come to love it as it is. Or not. These things are so hard to tell. 

To get the shape I wanted I not only cut off half the length, I also took it in quite a bit. Then it looked like this:

Now it's perfect! I wear it a lot, nothing is softer than velvet and wool. If you read the next post, you will see what the left-over fabric got used for.