I was contacted by Mashable for a fashion story, which is not something I do frequently. However this story had a bit of a twist to it, as it looks at how some black men are dressing up to save their lives. There's often a preconceived notion of what it means to be a black man in our country and snap judgements based on what someone is wearing can sometimes lead to confrontation or worse.

By "suiting up," some men look to deflect these negative expectations. The story looks at the fashion of three men living in New York, Washington, D.C. and lastly, in Philadelphia, where I did my shoot.

I got to meet with Sabir M. Peele, a brand consultant and the Philly focus of this story. Sabir is a great guy, with great fashion sense and an ability to pose effortlessly. With only an hour to shoot, we captured a number of different looks that showed off his suit, shoes, accessories and personality (which is to say - cool).

Read the original feature by DAVID YI, with additional photos by MILES GOSCHA and ANNIE FLANAGAN over at Mashable.