a beefcake fashion show courtesy of Jeffrey Fashion Cares

CHESTED bronzed men are one way to heat up an unseasonably frigid night. On Monday, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum was the site of a beefcake fashion show courtesy of Jeffrey Fashion Cares, which left the predominantly male crowd a little hot under their starched collars.

“The show’s definitely known for being underclothed, and I mean that in a good way,” the fashion designer Peter Som said.

“We try to keep the lineup sexy,” said Andrew Weir, the show’s casting director. “You won’t find your skinny Paris boys here.”

The evening began with a packed cocktail hour and silent auction, no small feat on the Intrepid’s hangar deck. More than 1,200 people, at $250 to $2,500 a ticket, helped themselves to free-flowing vodka, steak sliders and grilled Fontina cheese sandwiches.

For eight years, Jeffrey Kalinsky, the owner of Jeffrey, a luxury boutique in the meatpacking district, has held a benefit for AIDS and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender groups like Lambda Legal and the Hetrick-Martin Institute. Ticket sales this year raised more than $550,000. Standing between a vintage Navy fighter and a helicopter, the evening’s co-chairman, Nate Berkus, explained his involvement: “I’m the first openly gay male talk-show host. The issues are very close to my heart.”

Nearby, the designer Jason Wu perused the silent-auction items. Among them were an Hermès men’s accessories kit and a skateboard emblazoned with a racy image of Stephanie Seymour by Juergen Teller. “I’ve been traveling — London; Washington, D.C.; and Dallas — so I’m just happy I could make it,” Mr. Wu said. “Good thing I’m very productive on planes. I do a lot of my designing in the air.”

Joseph Altuzarra liked the fashion connection. “I think we sometimes get this bad rap for living in a bubble,” he said. “It’s great when fashion does our part. You have to support that.”

After 9 p.m., the crowd, which included a number of professional gay men in tight dark suits, marched to Hangar Three for a live auction and runway show. Seated in front were television personalities like J. Alexander and Robert Verdi as well as Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen of “The Real Housewives of New York City.”

The models Hanne Gaby Odiele and Crystal Renn giggled like schoolgirls as the models strutted by, some wearing only minuscule swim briefs. “It’s the first show I’ve ever been to where I’m not walking,” Ms. Odiele said, as she high-fived a few models. “A men’s wear show? Even better.”