What To Do With a Crop Top?

I have a sweater that I really like everything about - except it's cropped. We're talking 90's belly baring. Which doesn't even make sense because it's a sweater.
Being cropped and tight, I am limited in what I'm able to pair this sweater with, as most options such as layering with a collared shirt would produce unsightly or awkward midriff region exposure. As far as I can remember, I actually hadn't previously worn a dress as a skirt, and the placement of this dress' waistline worked nicely with the top.

Sweater: Express /  Goodwill outlet
Dress: Forever21 / Goodwill / $2
Necklace: Apple of My Eye - in a grab bag deal
Boots: Consignment store / $12

Hemming advice?

I found this dress in the bins at the outlet, and came home to find it was a perfect fit. The material is silk, with lace detailing at the top/ bodice area. While it does have a small tag listing the fabric content and cleaning instructions, it doesn't have size or label tags, which leads me to believe it might have been a custom bridesmaid dress.

I love everything about this dress, but the mid-calf length is overwhelming on my 5'3" frame, and even with the super tall heels I am wearing in the photos, I still think the length isn't ideal.

I am debating whether to keep the length as is (for convenience), or hem it to a more suitable knee length. And if the latter, I'm not sure whether I should do this myself or pay a little for a professional.
I'd like to wear this dress to my office holiday party this upcoming weekend and while I'd prefer it hemmed to knee length, I'm also afraid of being too hasty/ unfamiliar with silk if I were to do it myself. Note that though it's a work party and it'll be a dressy event, my office/team is very laid back and there wouldn't be any concerns about appropriate length/ skin showing.


These first photos are of the dress at its original/current length:

For comparison, In the next photos I have the skirt tucked/ am holding it up to simulate how it may look with a higher hemline (length in first two photos is shorter than ideal) :

Has anyone ever self-hemmed a dress? Or cut/sewn silk?