New Delhi, June 22 : Shoes are a crucial part of a wardrobe especially the leather ones. A right pair can accentuate your look whereas a wrong choice can break your entire look no matter how great the outfit so opt for the one that suits your personality, comfort.

Ritesh Srivastava, CEO at Elitify.com and Jyoti Narula, Director at JOE SHU share a few tips to keep in mind while buying a pair of genuine leather shoes.

* Shoe surface: The tactile feel of the shoe surface plays a significant role in deciding the authenticity of leather by the buyer. A pair of genuine leather shoes will usually have a sanded and refinished surface. It would not have a plastic feel or artificial finish that is common with faux leather.

* The insole - One should examine the detailing of the inner lining of the shoes which is another important indicator of quality. Genuine leather shoes will have an extra padded insole that works as a cushion between the feet and the shoes giving comfort and ensuring a sturdy grip.

* Price factor - As a general rule genuine leather costs more. It demands a relatively higher cost for the kind of durability, aesthetic appeal and fine detailing it brings to the footwear.

* Finishing and stitching - Aesthetics play a very important role while choosing a pair of shoes. An elegant silhouette is what adds to instant appeal along with its perfect coloration. The stitching should also be neat and smooth, thereby depicting attention to detail. More so in handcrafted or hand painted shoes.

* Comfort - A fine craftsman of shoes will always focus on comfort along with the styling. There is nothing worse than a shoe that bites.

* Rich fragrance of leather - A crucial point in identifying a real leather shoe is its smell. A shoe made of genuine leather will always carry a rich fragrance which is a natural odour. Authentic leather will never smell of chemicals or plastic.

* The sole - Sole is an important indicator of quality. The better the sole and the lining the more comfort and grip it offers. The shoes should always be light in weight. An extra layer of the sole between the shoe body and the feet will give freedom to the wearer for long hours.

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Chandigarh (PTI): The Congress on Thursday announced candidates for eight of the nine Lok Sabha seats it is contesting in Haryana, fielding former Union minister Kumari Selja, Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda and youth leader Divyanshu Budhiraja, besides two sitting MLAs.

The party has also fielded former MP Jai Prakash and leaders Satpal Brahmachari and Mahendra Pratap, according to the list released late Thursday evening.

The Congress is contesting nine of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. It has not yet announced its candidate for the Gurugram constituency.

The Aam Aadmi Party, a constituent of the opposition INDIA bloc, will contest the Kurukshetra seat.

Congress general secretary and former Union minister Selja will contest from the Sirsa (reserved) seat and sitting MLAs Varun Choudhary and Rao Dan Singh from the Ambala (reserved) and the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha seats, respectively.

Deepender Hooda, son of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, will enter the fray from Rohtak. He has represented the Rohtak parliamentary constituency three times in the past.

Jai Prakash has been fielded from Hisar, the Congress' Haryana youth wing president Divanshu Budhiraja from Karnal, Satpal Brahmachari from Sonipat and Mahendra Pratap from Faridabad.