Indian tunic, insulated

In summertime, L.A. girls live in embroidered Indian tunics, often from Govinda’s, the import store at the West Los Angeles Hare Krishna Temple. But the sheer cotton or silk tops, which come in a rainbow of colors, are too lightweight for even the mildest L.A. winters. Enter designers Jennifer Schuman and Sari Hymowitz and their new line of boho luxe cashmere tunics.

At about $365 each, the sweaters have been flying off the shelves at Barneys New York and Theodore in Beverly Hills; American Rag Cie and Fred Segal in L.A.; and Angel in Montecito. “People have been wearing the cotton ones since the 1960s,” said Nicole Green, head buyer for the Angel boutique. The plush cashmere versions, embroidered on the front and back, “are a new twist on a classic,” she says. “It’s like having your favorite summer top, the thing you throw on over your bathing suit, but in the winter.”

Lisa Davis, a buyer for Theodore, agrees: “It’s the look of the moment.”

A Los Angeles native, Schuman, 29, also designs the swimwear line Luce di Sole. Hymowitz, 28, used to be a buyer in the swimwear department at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. The two met when Hymowitz first picked up Schuman’s sexy suits for the store three years ago. They’ve been friends ever since, traveling together to France, Italy and Morocco, but not to India -- yet. Schuman says, “That’s our next stop for sure.”